


I Didn’t See You Coming

by InvisiMeg



Category: The 100 (TV)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, Alternate Universe - Supernatural Elements, F/F, Family Secrets, Ghosts, Romance, Witches
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-10-17
Updated: 2016-11-01
Packaged: 2018-08-23 02:02:50
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 8
Words: 32,709
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/8309512
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/InvisiMeg/pseuds/InvisiMeg
Summary: After an unexpected encounter with a girl she keeps seeing on campus, Clarke realizes she’s the only one who can help her.  Even if it means putting herself in danger and discovering family secrets that will change Clarke’s life.





	1. Chapter 1

Clarke smiled to herself as she listened to her friends down the hallway.  She figured it was only a matter of time before the RA came knocking to tell them to be quiet, but until then, she wasn’t going to bother trying to get her friends to keep it down.  She knew it would be futile with a few of them anyway.

After washing her hands and quickly drying them, Clarke threw the paper towel into the garbage and began walking to the door.  As she left the bathroom, the noise grew louder and she could hear her roommate laughing.  Clarke didn’t know what could possibly be so funny, though.  They were watching an old horror movie, and when Clarke had left the room, a woman had been stabbed to death before being hung from a tree for her parents to find.

“Hey, guys—”

Clarke was cut off when someone jumped out in front of her, causing her to jump back with a scream.  The moment of fright quickly turned to anger, though, when her friend started laughing.

“You ass!” Clarke said as she shoved Jasper, who was practically doubled over with laughter.

“Ow,” Jasper replied, his laughter quickly coming to an end as she rubbed his arm.

“I told you not to do it,” Monty commented.

“You hit hard,” Jasper said.

“Good,” Clarke replied as her heart rate slowly began returning to normal.  “Do anything like that again and it’ll be more than your arm that’s hurting.”

“You may want to sit down,” Monty advised.

Jasper did as he was told, still rubbing his arm as he sat in the chair furthest away from the spot Clarke had vacated.

“I always knew he was afraid of you,” Octavia said as Clarke sat down between her and Raven.

Clarke grabbed a handful of popcorn from the tub Raven thrust in front of her.  “What’d I miss?”

“Sex talk,” Raven answered.

Clarke hummed.  “Can someone grab me a Coke from the fridge.”

“Uh, I think I already grabbed the last one,” Monty said.  “Sorry.”

“Here,” Octavia said, pulling her keys out of her pocket, and handing them to Clarke.  “We have some next door.”

“Do you want me to get it?” Monty offered.

“Thanks, but it’s fine,” Clarke replied.

Normally she would be annoyed at missing so much of a movie, but in this case, she didn’t care.  Clarke hadn’t exactly wanted to have the movie night in the first place, but the others had wanted to do it since Halloween was in only a few weeks.  Clarke hated horror movies and was perfectly fine with any excuse to leave the room.  Not that she would ever admit that to her friends; she knew Raven and Octavia would relentlessly tease her about being a scaredy cat.

“I’ll be right back,” Clarke said as she stood and began walking to the door.

“Don’t you know you’re never supposed to say that?” Jasper asked.

“Hey, grab me one, too!” Raven called out just as Clarke walked into the hallway.

“Get your own!” Clarke yelled over her shoulder.

Clarke walked next door and knocked on the door in case Octavia’s roommate had come back early.  When there was no answer, Clarke let herself in, leaving the door ajar as she walked over to the mini-fridge in the corner of the room.  After grabbing a couple cans of Coke, Clarke also picked up the bag of chips that was sitting on top of the fridge and tucked them under her arm.  She didn’t know if they were Octavia’s or her roommate, Harper’s, but considering her friends had already eaten everything in sight in her room, Clarke really didn’t care.

“Hey, O?” Clarke called out as walked into the hall and checked to make sure the door was locked.  “I’m stealing your chips.”

When Clarke glanced toward her dorm, she locked eyes with a girl standing at the end of the hallway.  Clarke wondered if she was coming to complain about how much noise she and her friends were making, but just as she was about to open her mouth and apologize, Raven stuck her head out and asked, “Did you get me a soda, Griffin?”

“Yes,” Clarke replied with a roll of her eyes.

“I knew I kept you around for some reason,” Raven said as Clarke tossed the can toward her.

“Very funny,” Clarke drawled.

Raven smirked before looking over her shoulder.  “Was she cute, by the way?”

“Who?” Clarke asked with a frown.

“Whoever you were staring at down there,” Raven replied, nodding down the hall with a knowing glint in her eyes.

“I—we’re missing the movie,” Clarke said in lieu of an answer.

“You weren’t too concerned with that a few minutes ago,” Raven pointed out.

“Shut up, Raven,” Clarke replied.

“I’m going to take that as a yes,” Raven said, smirking at Clarke again as she walked past her and into the room.

* * *

 

“I’m heading to the library,” Clarke said as she shoved several books into her bag.

“Suddenly too good to study in the room, Griffin?” Raven replied.

Clarke rolled her eyes at her friend.  “Because I would get _so_ much work done here.”

Clarke was more the artistic type than the academic type, but if she wanted to get her degree in Fine Arts then she had to make it through all the gen ed classes as well.  Unfortunately, unlike Raven, things like math and science didn’t come second nature to her.

“Are you going to the studio after?” Raven asked.

“I’ll probably be at the library all evening,” Clarke said as she shouldered her bag.

“Wait,” Raven said when Clarke turned to leave.  “I’m coming with you.”

“Raven—”

“Don’t worry, I’m just going to grab some coffee,” Raven interrupted before Clarke could protest.  “I have to meet my group in a bit, and I’m going to need the caffeine if I have to listen to Wick talk.”

Clarke laughed.  “Are you still fighting with him?”

“Always,” Raven replied.  “I don’t know how I always end up doing group work with him.  I’m beginning to think my professors are punishing me for something.”  Raven shook her head.  “He likes to pretend he knows everything and that he’s the best in the class—”

“When in reality it’s you?” Clarke said.

“Damn right,” Raven replied.  “You’d think even he would realize that by now.”

“Maybe he’ll learn one day,” Clarke said.

“Yeah, especially since I’ve beaten his ass at every test we’ve ever taken,” Raven said as she grabbed her bag and slung it over her shoulder.  “Why are men so slow to learn these things?  Are they all just assholes?”

Clarke shrugged and opened the door.  “Don’t ask me.  I haven’t exactly had a great track record when I’ve dated them, so I’m inclined to say yes.”

“You haven’t had a great track record with women either,” Raven commented.

“Thanks for reminding me,” Clarke deadpanned.

Raven shrugged.  “Just saying.”

The two headed down the stairs and out of the building into the crisp October air.  The humidity of the summer had finally disappeared in the past few weeks, leaving the weather comfortable.  It was exactly the type of weather Clarke loved.  Raven, on the other hand, began complaining about it being too cold the moment she stepped foot out of the residence hall.  Then again, Raven wouldn’t be happy unless she was spending every day out in the hot sun.

As they finally neared the library, Clarke stopped in her tracks when she saw someone walking down the sidewalk adjacent to them.  She was walking away from them, but Clarke instantly recognized her as the same girl she’d seen in the hallway the night before.

“Clarke? Clarke!” Raven snapped her fingers in front of the blonde’s face.  “Are you listening to me?”

“Sorry, I was just—”

“Ignoring your best friend,” Raven finished for her.  “What were you even staring at?”

“No one,” Clarke quickly said.

“I said what, not who,” Raven replied.  “Is he cute?  Or she?  Does this mean you’re finally you’re getting over that asshole you were dating?”

“I told you before, I’m over Finn,” Clarke said.

“Right,” Raven replied in a tone that told Clarke she didn’t believe her.

“I am,” Clarke stated.

“That’s why you haven’t been on a single date since you two broke up months ago?” Raven said.

“Just because I haven’t dated anyone else, it doesn’t mean I’m not over him,” Clarke replied.

“So, who is it?” Raven asked, standing up straighter as she craned her neck to look around.

Clarke sighed.  “Okay, do you see the brunette over there?  Curlyish, brown hair.  Tall, thin.  You know, kind of—gorgeous.”

“Yeah, you weren’t staring at her at all,” Raven said, smirking.  “Which girl are you talking about, though?”

“She’s just over—” Clarke frowned as she looked where the girl had been just a few seconds ago.  “Where did she go?” Clarke sighed.  “Why are there so many people out so early on a Saturday morning?”

“Not everyone can regularly sleep ‘til noon, Clarke,” Raven said.

“That’s an exaggeration,” Clarke replied as she began walking toward the library again while glancing over her shoulder.

“Says the girl who’s surprised that people are out when it’s after ten,” Raven remarked.  “Crap.  Speaking of, I was supposed to have met the guys five minutes ago.”

“Maybe you should skip the coffee then,” Clarke said when she noticed the line to the coffee shop was out the door.

“Only if you want me to commit murder today,” Raven replied.

“Probably best if you don’t,” Clarke said.  “I think the administration may frown on it.”

“Probably,” Raven agree.  “I’ll see you later.  And don’t forget that party tonight.”

“Raven—”

“Don’t give me that shit about being too busy,” Raven interrupted.  “We all know my major is _much_ harder than yours and I’m going.”

Clarke rolled her eyes.  “I’ll think about it, okay?”

“You can think all you want as long as you come with us tonight,” Raven replied as she walked away.

* * *

 

“God, I can’t believe she’s still here,” Clarke heard a voice say from behind her say as she tiredly rubbed her eyes.

“I told you.”

Clarke shook her head and closed the book she’d been trying to read through.  Unfortunately, she had no interest in British literature no matter how classic the book was supposed to be.

“So, are you coming with us?” Octavia asked as she walked over and sat on the desk.

“Of course she’s coming with us,” Raven answered.

“Actually, I’m studying for a test I have next week,” Clarke replied.

Raven scoffed.  “C’mon, Clarke; I’m all for studying, but you’ve been here all day.  You should take a break and come with us.”

Clarke sighed.  “I don’t know.”

“It’s just a break, Clarke,” Raven replied.  “Then I promise you can come back and study in the room as long as you want since I plan on staying out most of the night.”

“Just come with us for an hour,” Octavia said, nudging Clarke with her foot.  “Lincoln and Bellamy promise it’s going to be a kick ass party.  And if you’re worried about Finn being there—”

“I’m not,” Clarke quickly interrupted.

“Well, worried or not, he isn’t going to be,” Octavia continued.  “Bell told me they finally got him to leave the frat a few weeks ago.”

“One hour,” Raven said.  “It’ll be good for you.  You can recharge and then spend the rest of the night studying.”

“Fine,” Clarke relented.  “One hour and then I really need to get back to work.”

Clarke grabbed her things and the three walked back to the dorm so she could drop off her things and change before finally heading over to the party.

A few months ago, Clarke would have jumped at the chance to go to one of the frat’s infamous parties, but ever since she and Finn had broken up, she hadn’t been in a party mood.  They always made her painfully aware how single she was, and it wasn’t like she was going to meet anyone at them unless she just wanted a quick hookup.  Which wasn’t entirely unappealing, but she really wasn’t in the mood for it that night.

“What, did they invite all of campus?” Raven asked as they approached the fraternity house.

“Wait until their Halloween party,” Octavia replied.  “Lincoln told me it’s always their biggest party of the year.”

“Why didn’t we go last year?” Raven asked.

“I went,” Clarke said, shrugging.

“What?” Raven asked.  “Where was I?”

“If I recall, you were too busy sleeping with that mystery guy from your class,” Clarke replied.

“Mmm, that,” Raven said.

Octavia and Clarke exchanged a look.  Even though Raven had refused to tell them who the guy was, they both knew it was Wick.  Her annoyance with him had only intensified right after she’d ended things with the mystery guy, and they had both put two and two together.

“We should get inside before Clarke’s hour runs out,” Raven said.

“I think someone just wants to get out of this conversation,” Octavia said to Clarke as Raven quickly began walking to the house.

“I think you’re right,” Clarke replied, smiling as she and Octavia began following Raven.

“Hey, you guys made it!” Bellamy said when they walked through the front door.

“I told you we’d be here,” Octavia said, receiving a hug from her big brother.  “Where’s Lincoln?”

“Your boyfriend’s in the backyard manning the grill,” Bellamy answered, nodding toward the back of the house.  “When you go out there, tell him to make sure he doesn’t burn the burgers.  Those things weren’t cheap.”

“I have a better idea,” Octavia replied.  “Why don’t you go out and take his place, so I can enjoy my evening with my boyfriend.”

“Okay, I don’t want to think about you two enjoying anything,” Bellamy said.

Octavia rolled her eyes.  “Grow up.”

Bellamy laughed and turned to the other two as his sister walked away.  “So, the drinks are in the den.”

“And the good beer?” Raven asked.

Bellamy smiled before reaching in his pocket and pulling out a key.  “My room.  Don’t tell anyone else I gave you this or you’ll never get it again.”

“Like I can’t pick a lock,” Raven remarked as she grabbed the key from him.

“I have some vodka up there, too,” Bellamy said, looking at Clarke.

“Thank, but I’ll pass,” Clarke replied.

“Clarke is being boring today,” Raven announced.

“I’m only staying for an hour,” Clarke explained.  “I have a lot of work to do.”

Bellamy nodded.  “Well, find me if you want someone to walk you home, okay?”

“Aww, isn’t that sweet,” Raven said, clapping Bellamy’s shoulder, and smirking at Clarke.

* * *

 

“You okay?” Bellamy asked, reached out for Clarke’s arm to steady her when she stumbled over a crack in the sidewalk.

“Yeah, it’s these damn shoes,” Clarke complained.

“Or maybe it was the vodka,” Bellamy said with a laugh.

“I don’t think two shots are going to have that big of an effect on me,” Clarke replied, shaking her head.  “Seriously, these shoes are just terrible.  I don’t know why I let Raven talk me into wearing them.”

“That sounds like Raven,” Bellamy said, smiling.  “She’s good at talking people into things they don’t want to do.”

“That she is,” Clarke agreed.

“You good from here?” Bellamy asked, stopping at the bottom of the stairs, and looking up at Clarke.

“Yes, thank you,” Clarke replied.  “You really didn’t have to walk me home, though.”

“I know, but you don’t know what kind of crazies are out there, and I’d hate it if something happened to one of my friends,” Bellamy said, shrugging.  “I’ll be sure to get Raven home safely too, so you won’t have to worry about her.”

Clarke smiled.  “Thanks, Bell.”

“So, maybe I’ll see you next week?” Bellamy said.

Clarke nodded.  “Hopefully things will slow down after I get this test over with.”

“When is it?” Bellamy asked. 

“Tuesday,” Clarke replied.

Bellamy nodded and gave her another smile.  “Well, good luck on Tuesday.  Not that you’ll need it.  Anyway—night, Clarke.”

After saying her goodbyes to Bellamy, Clarke turned and swiped her card to get into the building.  As she walked up to the third floor, she thought about going back to the library, where there would be less distractions, but she decided she would rather study in her room.  She was getting tired and really didn’t feel like making the walk across campus.  Plus, the library would be closing in a few hours anyway.

“Hey, Clarke,” Monroe, one of her floormates greeted.  “Are you heading out to the party?”

“Just getting back, actually,” Clarke replied.

“Already?” she asked.

“Test on Tuesday,” Clarke said in way of an explanation.

The redhead nodded.  “That sucks, but at least you got to have some fun tonight, right?”

“Yeah,” Clarke replied, looking over Monroe’s shoulder.  “Have fun, okay?”

“Yeah, okay,” Monroe replied, following Clarke’s gaze for a moment.  “I’ll see you around.”

Clarke watched as Monroe disappeared around the corner, and then turned back around to look at the brunette at the end of the hallway.  When the other girl noticed her looking, she locked eyes with her and a slight frown appeared on her face.

“It seems like I’ve been seeing you around a lot in the past few days,” Clarke said, taking a few steps toward her.  “Did you just move into the building?”

“Are you talking to me?” the brunette asked.

“Who else would I be talking to?” Clarke asked back, giving the girl a friendly smile.  “I’m pretty sure we’re the only two here.”

The other girl’s frown only grew and Clarke couldn’t help feeling like maybe she shouldn’t have said anything.  She didn’t want the girl to think she was weird, but this was the fourth time she had seen her around after briefly seeing her in the library that evening, and she felt like it would be even weirder if she didn’t eventually say something.

“I’m Clarke, by the way,” she continued, trying to fill the awkward silence that had quickly fallen between them.  “I’m sorry about how loud my friends were last night.  They can get a little overexcited about things.  Everything, actually.” Clarke smiled, but it quickly disappeared off her face and she cleared her throat as the brunette continued to stare at her.  “They want to do it again next Friday, but I’ll be sure to tell them to keep it down.  I can’t promise a few of them will listen, though, so I’m just going to apologize in advance.”

“I have to go,” the brunette stated, leaving Clarke wondering if she had actually heard anything she had just said to her.

“Hey, wait!” Clarke said.

Clarke didn’t exactly know what made her do it, but she quickly took a few steps forward and reached out for the other girl’s arm when Clarke’s words didn’t stop her.  Except instead of grabbing hold of her arm, Clarke’s hand went right through it, her hand feeling like it had been plunged into a bucket of cold water.

“What the—” Clarke began to say, but when she looked up, the brunette vanished before her eyes, leaving Clarke gaping at the spot she’d just been standing in.

 


	2. Chapter 2

Clarke was walking back and forth across her room, occasionally stopping to look at the door before continuing on her path again.

She kept trying to rationalize what she saw, but the only explanation she could come up with was that she had somehow gotten very drunk after only two shots.  Or maybe she wasn’t drunk at all and she had suddenly developed hallucinations.  Whatever it was, she knew for sure that what she saw wasn’t normal.  People certainly didn’t just disappear into thin air.

Every now and then she would look down at her hand and remember the sensation of it going through the girl’s arm.  It had felt unlike anything she had ever experienced.  It was as if her hand had been thrust into ice water without the wetness.  Although, it felt slightly more solid than water.  Like how she would imagine it would feel to stick her hand in a huge bowl of pudding.

Clarke sat down for a moment before quickly standing back up and walking around the room once more.  It had been hours since the incident and she couldn’t seem to sit still for more than thirty seconds.  She just kept going over and over everything in her head, looking for any little indication of what the hell happened.

“Shh,” she heard someone loudly whisper outside her door, and a few moments later, Raven walked in with Octavia trailing right behind her.  “Clarke’s probably already—awake.  Never mind.”

“Hey,” Clarke said, stopping in her tracks.  “I thought you would be out later.  And I thought you would be with Lincoln.”

“I realized I forgot my phone here earlier,” Octavia replied.  “I’m gonna head back.”

“Why do you look so freaked out?” Raven asked, eyeing Clarke.

“Oh, I—”

“What happened?” Raven asked.  “Did Bellamy try something?”

“What? No!” Clarke quickly replied.  “He walked me to the building and then left.”

“Good, because I would have kicked his ass if he did,” Raven stated.

“You do look freaked out,” Octavia said, furrowing her brows slightly as she studied Clarke.

“What happened?” Raven asked, crossing her arms over her chest, and turning serious.

“I—” Clarke sighed as she sat down on her bed, running her hand through her hair.  “I don’t really know.” She shook her head and then looked over at her two friends.  Okay, I know this is going to sound crazy, but I’ve been seeing this girl around campus.”

“The cute one?” Raven asked.

“Yes, her,” Clarke said.  “I saw her on my way to the room tonight, so I decided to, you know, say hi and apologize if we disturbed her last night.”

“I’m missing the crazy,” Octavia replied.

“She looked surprised that I was talking to her, which was a little weird, but I really didn’t think anything of it,” Clarke continued.  “But then she suddenly said she had to go and I don’t know why I did it, but I reached out to grab her arm to stop her.”

“And?” Raven prodded.

“And my hand went right through her,” Clarke replied.

“Like, _through_ her through her?” Octavia asked.

“Yes,” Clarke replied.

Octavia and Raven exchanged a look for a moment before the latter shrugged her shoulders and said, “Maybe it’s the ghost.”

“I’m sorry, the _what_?” Clarke asked.

“Supposedly Polis Hall is haunted,” Raven replied, shrugging again as if it was no big deal.  “You really haven’t heard the story?”

“Yeah, two girls died, like, twenty years ago,” Octavia said.  “They lived on this floor in the corner room.  They found one of their bodies a couple days later, but they never found the other one.”

“I heard they found them both,” Raven said.

Octavia shook her head.  “They found the one dead in the lake.”

“I heard it was the woods,” Raven replied.

“Whatever,” Octavia said, shaking her head.  “The point is weird things have been happening in this building for years.  People getting locked out of their rooms, stuff moving around when no one’s been in the room.”

“Jasper swears she’s the reason he can never find his keys,” Raven added.  “I’ve never really heard of anyone actually _seeing_ her, though.  Usually it’s just weird stuff happening; the kind that makes you question your sanity.”

“Oh, I’m definitely doing that,” Clarke mumbled.

“So, you really saw her?” Octavia asked, actually looking excited at the prospect of Clarke seeing ghosts.

“I don’t know exactly what I saw,” Clarke said, shaking her head.

Octavia hummed and then grabbed her phone from where she’d apparently left it on Raven’s desk.  Raven, on the other hand, was still looking at Clarke in concern.

“Do you want me to stay here?” Raven asked.  “I was going to go back to the party, but I can stick around if you want.”

Clarke shook her head.  “It’s okay; go have fun.”

“Are you sure?” Raven asked.

“Yeah, I’m sure,” Clarke replied.  “I should get some sleep.” She gave her friends a weak smile.  “I’m probably just tired.”

* * *

 

Clarke rubbed her eye as she read the paragraph for the third time.  She couldn’t seem to concentrate, and after several more attempts to get through the rest of the chapter, she finally gave up, pushing the book forward and leaning back in her seat.

She had tossed and turned most of the night, regretting her decision to tell Raven to go.  She kept feeling like she was being watched, but every time she would turn the light on and look around, she was completely alone in the room.  She knew it had been her imagination, but with what Raven and Octavia had told her on her mind, she couldn’t help feeling a little paranoid.

Despite how freaked out she had been, though, she was equally as curious.  It all seemed so crazy, but at the same time, it was the thing that made the most sense.  She knew she hadn’t had enough alcohol the night before to even be tipsy, so she couldn’t blame what she saw on that.  So unless she was developing schizophrenia or some other mental disorder that made her hallucinate, there was no other explanation she could think of, and as much she didn’t want to believe in ghosts, she wanted to believe that even less.

With a long sigh, Clarke looked around, her eyes landing on the computers at the side of the room.  She hesitated for a second, but after a few moments, she grabbed her notebook and stood up, walking over to one of the computers and sitting down.

“Okay, let’s see if you’re crazy,” Clarke mumbled to herself.

She didn’t have a lot to go on—no name or anything like that—so she started looking for articles about any deaths that may have happened at the university.  The first few were about a suicide that happened the previous year, and then she found what she was looking for.  The double murder that happened at the University of Arkadia exactly twenty years before.  And it included a picture of the two roommates who were killed, one of which was a face she would never forget.

Clarke didn’t know how long she was looking through article after article before leaning back with a sigh.  It was real.  The _ghost_ was real.  It hadn’t been a hallucination or the vodka.  Octavia and Raven had been right, and as Clarke hit the print button, she wondered whether or not they would truly believe her or if they were simply humoring her.

After sending several more articles to the printer, Clarke grabbed her student ID out of her wallet and walked down the hall to the printer.  As she was standing there waiting for the articles to print out, she suddenly felt like the air had shifted somehow, and when she glanced over her shoulder, she saw her.  She was walking down the hallway, seemingly unaware to everything going on around her, not even pausing when Clarke called out.

“Hey!” Clarke tried again.  “Wait!”

Abandoning the printer, Clarke quickly began following the ghost, apologizing when she bumped into someone in her haste to follow.  The ghost moved a lot faster than she did, moving through walls when Clarke had to go around.  After a minute or two, though—after Clarke had to run up the stairs when the brunette went right through the ceiling—Clarke finally caught up to the ghost.

When Clarke rounded the corner in the stacks, she finally stopped, trying to catch her breath.  The ghost had finally stopped moving so quickly and was now slowly walking down the aisle, looking at the books on the shelves.

“Hey,” Clarke softly said, not wanting to risk upsetting the ghost by startling her.  If you could even startle a ghost.

She hadn’t exactly planned what she would say the next time she saw her, and she hadn’t given any thought to what would actually happen once she caught up to her.  But when Clarke saw her, she couldn’t seem to stop herself from running after her.

“I know who you are,” Clarke found herself saying, internally cringing at how abrupt she had been.

The ghost stopped and looked at Clarke for a second before turning back to the row of books.  “And who am I?”

“You’re Alexandria Woods,” Clarke stated.  “You were a student here.”  Clarke paused for a moment.  “You died in 1996 along with your roommate.  They found your body in the woods two days after you disappeared, but they never found your roommate’s, and the police never found out who killed you.”

She slowly began walking again, tilting her head to look at the titles of the books.  Clarke instantly regretted her choice of words, wishing she would have been a little less blunt, but just as she was about to apologize, the ghost whispered, “Lexa.”

“What?” Clarke asked, furrowing her brows in confusion.

“Most people called me Lexa,” she said, locking eyes with Clarke for a moment before turning away and walking straight through the wall.

Clarke let out the breath she didn’t know she had been holding and nodded to herself.  It was a start.

* * *

 

Clarke stared at the news article, no longer really seeing the words.  She had already read about the murders so much, reading and rereading the articles she had printed, and she didn’t even really know why.  It’s not like anything new would suddenly appear in them or as if it would change what was happening.

After checking her phone to see what time it was—and seeing she had several texts from Raven asking when she was going to be back or if she was going to spend all weekend at the library—Clarke decided to call it a day.  As much as she needed to study for her test, it clearly wasn’t going to happen with her mind so focused on other things.  So, Clarke shoved the articles into her bag next to her notes and books that had never even left the bag.

After shouldering the bag, Clarke sent off a quick text to tell Raven she was leaving the library.  As she neared the building, she felt her phone vibrate in her pocket.  Before she could pull it out and look at the text, though, she saw Lexa sitting on the steps to the building and she froze.

At first, Lexa seemed distracted as she stared off in the distance, but then her eyes slowly met Clarke’s.  They stared at one another for a few moments before Clarke broke eye contact and looked down, clearing her throat.  She didn’t want to say anything stupid and make Lexa disappear again, but she was taking it as a good sign that she didn’t vanish the moment she noticed she was there.

“I—” Clarke paused when the front door opened and two people walked out.  She waited for them to pass and then looked over her shoulder, making sure they were far enough away to not overhear her since she didn’t want to look like a crazy person who was talking to herself.  “I didn’t expect to see you again so soon.  I actually thought you may avoid me, but I guess there’s no need to when you can vanish out of a conversation at any moment.” Clarke gave her a wry smile.  “Anyway, I’m sorry about earlier; it was a little insensitive.”

Clarke walked up the steps and glanced at Lexa before sitting down next to her.

“Can I ask you something?” Clarke asked, looking over at Lexa, who paused for a moment before giving a barely-there nod.  “Have you always been here?”

“Yes,” Lexa answered.

Clarke hummed.  “I wonder why I haven’t seen you before?”

It was more of a question for herself than Lexa.  She had been living in Polis Hall the entire past school year, and the night before was the first time she had seen Lexa.  And she knew she would have noticed her if their paths had ever crossed.  Lexa was too beautiful not to be noticed.

She didn’t know why she was suddenly seeing a ghost.  It was certainly something she had never experienced before, and given the amount of time she had spent around hospitals since her mom was a doctor, she assumed it would have happened a lot.  So she couldn’t help wondering why she was seeing _this_ ghost in particular.  What made her so special that Clarke could see her?

“I don’t know,” Lexa said in a soft voice.  “I don’t think anyone else has.  I thought maybe someone did once or twice, but if they did, it passed.”

“So, I’m the first person you’ve talked to in, what, twenty years?” Clarke asked.

Lexa gave a brisk nod.  “Yes.”

“That’s—I’m sorry,” Clarke replied with a frown.  “I can only imagine how hard that must be.”

“You get used to it,” the ghost said, clasping her hands together, and looking down at them.  “I wasn’t the most social when I was—”

Clarke nodded in understanding, not needing for Lexa to say the words.  She wanted to say something comforting, but what could she possibly say?  It was a shitty situation, and she didn’t think anything could make it better.

“Do you know why you’re still here?” Clarke wondered.  “I mean, why you didn’t go on?  I’m sorry, is that a rude question?  I haven’t exactly been in this situation before.”

“That makes two of us,” Lexa replied.  “And to answer your question, no, I do not know.  One moment I was alive, and the next I was not.  I don’t remember the in-between.”

“So, you don’t remember what happened to you?” Clarke asked.

“No,” Lexa answered.

Clarke nodded.  “Maybe that’s for the best.”

“Talking to yourself again, Griffin?”

Clarke jumped at Raven’s sudden appearance.  “No, I—” She glanced at Lexa before looking back at Raven.  “Yes.  I was just thinking aloud.”

“Well, stop talking to yourself and come on,” Raven said, walking up the steps.  “Octavia’s waiting for us.”

“For what?” Clarke asked.

“Lunch,” Raven answered.

Clarke nodded and then quickly looked at Lexa and mumbled, “I’ll see you later.”

“What was that?” Raven asked, looking over her shoulder.

“Nothing,” Clarke lied.

* * *

 

Clarke was wide awake, listening to the sound of the rain hitting the window and the soft snores that told her Raven was still sound asleep.  Something Clarke had failed to be all night.

It was the second night in a row that she had barely slept.  Except instead of wondering what the hell was going on, this time she couldn’t help thinking about Lexa’s situation.  She just kept thinking what it would be like if it was her that was stuck there, unable to communicate with anyone, forced to watch everyone else live their lives while she could never move on.  Clarke couldn’t imagine spending a month like that, let alone twenty years.

While she still wondered why she was suddenly seeing a ghost, Clarke had decided it really didn’t matter.  She knew she should probably be more freaked out about it, but now that she actually knew what was going on and that she wasn’t crazy, she had come to accept it.  It was just one more thing in an already eventful year.  Unlike all the other things that had happened that year, though, this was one of the few that wasn’t bad.  Weird and unexplainable, but not necessarily bad.

With a low groan, Clarke sat up and ran a hand through her tangled hair.  She still had a few hours before she needed to be at her first class of the day, but she was tired of lying there, staring up at the ceiling.  So, with a yawn, Clarke threw back the covers and swung her legs over the side of the bed.

After grabbing her things, Clarke walked out of her room and down the hall to the showers.  As she entered the bathroom, she couldn’t help glancing around for Lexa, but aside from Octavia, who was standing at the mirror, the room appeared to be empty.

“You’re up early,” Octavia said when she noticed Clarke’s reflection in the mirror.

Clarke shrugged.  “Couldn’t sleep.”

“Why not?” Octavia asked as she turned around and leaned against the sink.

“I’m not sure,” Clarke lied.  “I guess I was just restless.”

“Thinking about your close encounter?” Octavia asked with a slight grin.

“That was—” Clarke shook her head.

“What?” Octavia questioned.  “Are you taking back what you said?”

“Not exactly,” Clarke replied, looking down for several seconds before slowly looking back up at Octavia and hesitantly asking, “Do you believe me?”

“I don’t know,” Octavia replied.  “I guess I don’t not believe you.  If you say you saw something then you saw something.  Whether it was a ghost or not, who knows.”

Octavia shrugged and Clarke nodded.  “Well, thanks for not thinking I’m crazy.”

“What are friends for?” Octavia replied.

“I should get ready,” Clarke said, nodding toward the shower room.

“Later,” Octavia replied as she pushed off the sink.

Clarke walked into the showers, glancing into each open stall.  She didn’t really expect for Lexa to be hanging out in one of them, but she still looked anyway in the off chance that she was around.  The stalls were all empty, though, so Clarke walked to the back of the room, where she turned the water on and took a long, hot shower.

“What are you doing?” Raven mumbled as soon as Clarke walked back through the door.  “Why the hell are you up so early?”

“It’s eight,” Clarke replied.  “It’s not _that_ early.”

“It is when I stayed up ‘til two in the morning,” Raven said, pulling her pillow out from under her head, and putting it over her face.

“Weren’t you just saying the other day how I sleep too late?” Clarke reminded her.

“No,” Raven mumbled from underneath the pillow.

“Well, it was implied,” Clarke said.

Clarke quickly got ready, throwing her hair up in a ponytail and putting on less makeup than usual.  She didn’t want to waste time since she only had a little under an hour and a half before her class, and she had no idea how long things would take.

“I’m never going to fall back asleep now,” Raven said, throwing her covers to the side, her pillow falling to the floor.

“Sorry,” Clarke replied as she put on her jacket.

“Where are you even going?” Raven asked.  “Your class doesn’t start for forever.”

“I need to go help someone,” Clarke answered.

“You need to help someone?” Raven repeated.

“Yes,” Clarke replied.

Raven shrugged, clearly too sleepy to care very much.  “Whatever.  I’ll be out late, so you can study here tonight if you want.”

“I’ll probably do that, thanks,” Clarke replied.  “I’ll see you later.”

* * *

 

Clarke silently watched Lexa for a few moments, the ghost smilingly unaware to her presence.  She was exactly where Clarke had followed her to the previous day, and Clarke couldn’t help wondering how much of her time she spent in the library stacks.  As far as she knew, Lexa could spend her time anywhere, so she had to wonder why she spent it there.

“You’re staring.”

Clarke shook her head as she pushed off from the shelf she had been leaning against.  “I like to think of it more as watching.”

“What do you want—Clarke was it?” Lexa asked.

“You can move things?” Clarke said, furrowing her brows as she watched Lexa turn the page to the book she was staring at.

“Yes and no,” Lexa replied.

“What’s the yes and what’s the no part?” Clarke wondered.

“I have to concentrate, and even then, I can only move certain things,” Lexa answered.  “The lighter something is, the easier.  Fortunately, books are not too heavy.”

“So that’s why you spend your time at the library? To read?” Clarke asked.

“Yes,” Lexa replied.

Clarke smiled.  “Well, at least you have something to help you pass the time, right?”

“You didn’t answer my question,” Lexa said, looking over at her.  “What do you want, Clarke?”

“I just—I don’t know,” Clarke replied, looking down, and shaking her head.  “I couldn’t sleep last night.  I kept thinking about you and how much I would hate to be in your position.  I can’t imagine how lonely you must be.  How frustrating it would be to have to watch everyone around you live their life but to never be able to move on yourself.  That’s why I decided that I want to help you, Lexa.  If you want my help, that is.”

“And how do you propose to help me?” Lexa asked.

“By finding who killed you,” Clarke answered.  “That has to be the reason you’re still here, right?  They never found out who murdered you, and I thought maybe you could move on if I could somehow figure out who did it.  What do you say?  It can’t hurt, right?  I mean, if you’re ready to move on.”  Clarke shrugged.  “Maybe I’m wrong; maybe you like it here and never want to leave. If that’s the case, tell me and I’ll drop it.”

She didn’t know if she could help Lexa, but she felt like she had to try.  She knew it would be a long shot—the police hadn’t figured it out in twenty years and she certainly didn’t have any investigative skills—but she still felt like she needed to help Lexa.  Or at least attempt to help her.

“So?” Clarke said, giving Lexa a questioning look.  “Do you want to think about it?”

“You can do whatever you wish, Clarke,” Lexa replied.

“I know, but I don’t want to do it unless you want me to,” Clarke said.

“Well, I certainly don’t want to only be able to talk to you for the rest of my existence,” Lexa remarked.

Clarke rolled her eyes when Lexa smirked at her.  “You’re lucky I feel sorry you.  And that I can’t throw anything at you because it would go right through you.”

“You wouldn’t throw anything at me,” Lexa said.  “I’ve seen you with your friends, and you never throw anything at them despite how annoying they can be.”

“That’s because they’re my _friends_ ,” Clarke replied.  “Wait, you’ve been watching me?”

“I watch a lot of people, Clarke,” Lexa said.  “As you pointed out, I cannot do much else.  And you and your friends are—particularly lively.  It’s hard not to notice.”

Clarke took a few steps toward Lexa.  “So, what all do you watch us doing?”

Lexa shook her head.  “Don’t worry, Clarke, I’m not one to watch people when they are—how should I put it?  Intimately involved with others or themselves.  I usually stay in public places.”

“Usually?” Clarke questioned.

“I occasionally get bored and will join someone while they are watching a movie,” Lexa replied.  “I always make sure they are decent, though.”

Clarke nodded.  “Have you ever been there when I was watching one?”

“Wouldn’t you know if I had?” Lexa asked.

“I don’t know,” Clarke said, shrugging.  “I have no idea if I’ve always been able to see you or if this is a new development.”

Lexa hummed.  “So, Clarke, how are you going to go about solving my murder?”

“I guess I’ll have to figure that out, won’t I?” Clarke replied.


	3. Chapter 3

Clarke sighed to herself as she closed the article she had been reading.  Like all the other articles and websites she had found that morning, it told her nothing she didn’t already know.  They all seemed to say the exact same thing in a slightly different way, and she was beginning to get frustrated.  She didn’t understand the point in publishing something that was identical to dozens of other articles out there.

She also didn’t understand how the two murders could go unsolved for so long.

It was obvious that the murders had shocked not only campus but the entire town.  Arkadia hadn’t exactly had many murders, though, so she could see why it had worried and even fascinated the residents.  As far as she had seen, it was the last murder the town had experienced and the only one that had happened in the past thirty years.

“What are you looking at?” Raven asked, causing Clarke to jump, knocking over her water bottle.

“Nothing,” Clarke said, closing the lid to her laptop.  “Do you always have to sneak up on me?”

“Geez, are you looking at porn or something?” Raven asked from behind her as Octavia began laughing.

Clarke rolled her eyes as she turned around.  “No, of course not.  I was just doing some research for a paper.”

“You’re doing a research paper on a murder?” Raven questioned.  “Are you suddenly taking some criminology class that I’m unaware of.”

“What?” Clarke asked.

“I saw the headline,” Raven said, motioning to the laptop.  “You gotta be quicker than that, Griffin.  So, I’ll ask again.” Raven flopped down on her bed and looked at Clarke.  “What are you looking at?”

Clarke sighed.  “Fine—I’m looking into that murder you two told me about.”

“What murder?” Raven asked, furrowing her brows.

“Are you talking about the ghost thing?” Octavia asked.

“Yes,” Clarke admitted.  “It got me curious, so I decided to look into it.”

“So, you’re looking up some old murder for some girl you never met?” Raven replied.

Clarke nodded.  “I just wanted to know about it since it seems like I’m the last person to have heard about it.  That’s all.”

Clarke had decided not to tell her friends about Lexa.  Or at least not about the fact that she had communicated with the ghost.  Even though she knew she wasn’t imagining things, she didn’t know if it would be so easy to convince her friends of that.  So, for now, she figured it would be best if she didn’t tell them.  It was one thing for her to tell them she had seen something unexplainable, but it was another thing to tell them she was regularly seeing her now and even carrying on entire conversations.  They may be her two closest friends, but she knew how-out there it all sounded, and she didn’t know if she would believe them if the roles were reversed.

“Why are you so interested?” Raven asked.

“I told you, I was just curious,” Clarke replied.

“You’ve never been curious about these things before,” Raven pointed out.  “Octavia’s the one with the weird obsession with those true crime stories.”

“It’s not that weird,” Octavia argued.

“It’s a little weird,” Raven replied before looking back at Clarke.  “So, which of us was right?”

Clarke stood from her seat.  “Both of you were right and wrong, actually.  They found one of them in the woods, but they never found the other.”

“Ha, I told you,” Octavia said, pointing at Raven.

“Don’t look so excited,” Raven replied.  “You thought they found the body in the lake.”

“While you two argue over who was most wrong, I have to head to class,” Clarke said as she walked over and grabbed her bag from her bed.  “I have that test in about thirty minutes.”

“Which is why we came by,” Octavia commented.  “We wanted to know if you wanted to meet us after for lunch.”

“I can’t right after,” Clarke replied.  “I told a friend I’d meet them at the library.”

“For how long?” Raven asked.  “Monty and Jasper are supposed to meet us, but Monty doesn’t get out of class until around two, so if you’re not going to be that long, you could still come with us.”

“I don’t know,” Clarke replied.  “I’ll text you and let you know, okay?  I’ll probably be done by then, but I can’t guarantee it.”

“That works,” Raven said, shrugging her shoulders.

“Alright.  I’ll see you later,” Clarke said as she threw her coat on and slung her bag onto her shoulder.

“Good luck,” Octavia called out.

“Thanks,” Clarke said, throwing her hand up in goodbye as she walked out of the room, shutting the door behind her.

* * *

 

“Finding you would be a lot easier if you had a phone,” Clarke said, crossing her arms over her chest.  “Or if you were always in the same spot.”

“I’m a ghost, not a corpse,” Lexa responded, not bothering to look up.  “What are you doing here, Clarke?”

“Looking for you,” Clarke replied.

“Well, you have found me,” Lexa said.  “What do you want?”

“Are you always this friendly?” Clarke asked, though she had no real malice in her voice.

“Only to the people I talk to,” Lexa replied.

“So I’m just lucky, then?” Clarke said.

“It would seem so,” Lexa remarked as she finally turned toward Clarke, clasping her hands behind her back.  “You still haven’t told me what you want, Clarke.”

“I did some digging last night and this morning, and I had a question or two for you,” Clarke said.  “I’ve been looking for anything I can find about what happened to you.  Most of the articles I’ve found say the same thing.  As far as I can tell so far, the police never really had any idea who did it.  Although, there seemed to be some speculation that it had something to do with the occult.  Apparently they were looking into a coven for a while, but no one in it was ever named a person of interest and no one was ever charged.  The things I read about the coven were all from anonymous, inside sources, so who knows how correct they were.”

“So, what you wanted to tell me is that you know nothing so far?” Lexa asked.

“What I wanted to tell you is that it’s a start,” Clarke replied.  “I’ll try to find out more about the coven in case they did have something to do with your death, but first I wanted to ask if any of this sounded familiar.  Would you have known anyone in this coven by any chance?  A friend?  Maybe someone from one of your classes?”

Lexa shook her head.  “Not that I can recall, but a lot of things about my life are—fuzzy.  Not everything, but many things.  Sometimes they come back to me, though.  It’s as if something will trigger a memory and suddenly it’s not so fuzzy anymore.”

“I’m sorry,” Clarke replied, frowning.

“It doesn’t matter,” Lexa said as she turned away.  “I’m used to it.”

Clarke nodded, not really knowing what to say.  Because she knew there really wasn’t anything she could say that would make any of this better.

“If anything about this coven does come to you, will you let me know?” Clarke asked.  “I’m going to see if I can find any of the people who were in it and hopefully one of them will talk to me.”

“Don’t,” Lexa said, turning back to her.

“Why not?” Clarke asked.  “Are you worried about me?”

Lexa rolled her eyes.  “Because if one of these people was responsible for my death and the death of my roommate, what’s to stop them from hurting you, too?”

“So, you are worried about me?” Clarke said with a slight smile.

“I’m worried about me,” Lexa replied.  “I don’t want to risk us being stuck together for all eternity if you were to be murdered as well.”

“I guess that makes more sense,” Clarke said.

Lexa took a step toward her.  “Promise you won’t risk your life for me, Clarke.  You don’t want to end up like me.”

“You’re right,” Clarke replied.  “I’ll be careful, though.”

Lexa was right, but that wasn’t going to stop Clarke.  Once she became determined to do something, she always saw it through, and she was determined to figure out what happened to Lexa.  She may not necessarily know or even particularly like the girl, but she wouldn’t wish Lexa’s situation on her worst enemy.

And she didn’t exactly dislike Lexa.  She actually reminded Clarke of her friends in some ways.  She seemed sarcastic and defensive, which her two best friends could be.  And like Octavia and Raven, Clarke didn’t take Lexa’s insults very seriously.  She figured it was probably just a defense mechanism or even just her dry sense of humor.  Although, she did wonder if Lexa was always like this or if it was the result of spending twenty years essentially in complete solitude.

After a few moments Lexa nodded.  “Do not go alone when you talk to anyone you think could possibly be involved.  Make sure you are protected.”

“I will,” Clarke promised.  “I have no plan to be alone with the person who killed you.  You don’t have to worry about that.”

* * *

 

“Hey, Clarke,” Jasper said as he sat up straighter and smiled at her.  “Where’ve you been?”

“I had to meet someone for a bit,” Clarke answered.

“Here,” Monty said, standing up, and offering his seat to Clarke before walking over to the next table to grab another chair.

Clarke smiled as she sat down.  “Thanks.”

“No problem,” Monty replied.  “We didn’t know if you were going to come.”

“Yeah, you were supposed to text me,” Raven said, throwing a small, wadded up piece of paper at Clarke.

“Sorry,” Clarke said, taking a sip of her soda.

“So, we were talking about what we’re going to watch this weekend,” Jasper said as he leaned back in his chair.  “Since you girls got to pick last weekend, I think Monty and I should get to pick this time.”

“And I say our room, our pick,” Raven argued.

“Then why don’t you come to our room?” Jasper asked.

“Because your room smells,” Octavia answered.

“It doesn’t smell,” Jasper said, frowning.

“Oh, please, it smells like wet dog and gym socks in there,” Raven replied.

“I told you we should probably light a candle every once in a while,” Monty said, looking at Jasper.

Jasper shrugged.  “Okay, so we’ll light a candle.  Do we even have any candles?”

“Even the strongest candle in the world won’t help the smell in you room,” Raven remarked.

“I resent that,” Jasper replied.

“She’s kind of right,” Monty said.

“I still resent it,” Jasper replied.

Clarke shook her head at her friends.  It seemed like Jasper and Raven were always arguing about something.  Usually something ridiculous or inconsequential.  Clarke always tried to stay out of it, though, even when Jasper was looking to her for backup like he was at that very moment.

“Don’t look at me,” Clarke said after a few seconds.  “You’re on your own.”

“So, what movie did you have in mind?” Monty asked, causing Jasper to mumble something about him being a traitor.

“Remember, it’s gotta be a horror movie,” Jasper cut in.

“Yeah, thanks; without you telling me that I would have chosen It’s A Wonderful Life, but now that you mention it, maybe I won’t,” Raven said, rolling her eyes.

“How about one of the classics?” Octavia asked.  “Something like Nightmare on Elm Street or Halloween?”

Clarke’s eyes drifted away from her friends when she saw a girl with long, brown hair out of the corner of her eye.  Her eyes followed the brunette as she walked through the crowded cafeteria, watching as she walked toward the exit on the other side of the room.  For a moment, she thought it was Lexa and she thought about trying to catch up to her, but then she turned her head and Clarke saw that it wasn’t her.  There was a slight resemblance, but this girl wasn’t nearly as pretty as the ghost, and she was quite a bit paler than Lexa.

“Earth to Clarke.  Who are you looking at?” Octavia said, waving her hand in front of Clarke’s eyes.

“No one,” Clarke lied.

“Then who are you looking for?” Raven asked.

“I wasn’t looking for anyone,” Clarke replied, picking up her sandwich, and taking a bite.

“Oh my god, you’re dating someone,” Raven said, crossing her arms.  “And you didn’t tell us.”

Clarke rolled her eyes.  “I’m not dating anyone.”

“Oh, please; you’re totally seeing someone, aren’t you?” Raven replied.

Clarke couldn’t help but laugh.  “Only in the literal sense.”

“What does that mean?” Monty asked, frowning.

“Nothing,” Clarke said as she shook her head.  “It was just a joke.  I’m not dating anyone.  Really.”

“Okay, but you have been acting kind of weird lately,” Octavia pointed out.  “I mean, first with what happened Saturday night, and then—”

“Wait, what happened Saturday night?” Jasper interrupted.

“Nothing,” Clarke quickly replied.

“Clarke thinks she saw the ghost,” Raven said before Clarke could stop her.

“Dude,” Jasper hit Monty’s arm with the back of his hand, “see, I told you I’m not crazy.  She keeps moving my keys!”

Clarke shook her head; she highly doubted Lexa was going into Jasper’s room to move his keys around.  She may not know Lexa very well, but she didn’t seem like the type for childish pranks.

“What exactly did you see?” Monty asked, ignoring Jasper’s outburst.

“I don’t really know,” Clarke lied.  “I just thought I saw a girl in the hallway.”

“I thought you said your hand went through her?” Octavia commented.

“Maybe,” Clarke replied.  “It’s all a little hard to describe.”

Jasper smiled.  “That’s so cool, though.”

“I don’t know if ‘cool’ is the word I would use,” Monty said.  “I just hope she stays away from me if she really does exist.”

“Don’t worry, I doubt she wants to hurt anyone,” Clarke replied.

“How do you know?” Monty asked.

Clarke shrugged.  “I guess it’s just a feeling.”

Clarke glanced to the side when she noticed Raven staring at her with a curious look on her face.  For a moment, she thought about asking her friend why she was looking at her like that, but instead, Clarke took another bite of her sandwich, knowing it was probably better to ignore it.

* * *

 

“Read chapter eight by Friday, and if you haven’t already read chapter seven, I would advise for you to do so,” Clarke’s professor, Dr. Ellison, said.  “And don’t forget you have a quiz on Monday, so make sure you study!  I would advise starting soon; it is going to be much harder than the last, and some of you did not do so well on it.”

Clarke made a quick note before she closed her notebook and tossed it into her bag.  She had been so busy with everything else that she was behind on the reading and had completely forgotten about the quiz.  As much as she wasn’t looking forward to it, she knew she was going to need to spend the weekend catching up.  Not just for that class but for all of them.  She had been neglecting every one of her classes for the past week, but that was going to have to stop.

“Miss Griffin, can I see you a second?”

Clarke stopped in her tracks and turned toward her art history professor.  “Of course.”

“Is everything okay?” the older woman asked.  “I couldn’t help but notice that you’ve been really distracted all week.  I don’t think I’ve seen you take a single note, which isn’t really like you.  I mean, you’ve never been my most diligent note taker, but you at least usually pick up your pencil once or twice.”

“I’m sorry,” Clarke said

"I don’t want to pry, but is everything okay?” Dr. Ellison asked.

“Everything is fine,” Clarke replied.  “I just haven’t been sleeping well.  I’ll try to pay better attention, though.”

Dr. Ellison nodded before crossing her arms.  “You’re the one paying to be here, so I can’t really tell you what to do.  If you don’t want to take notes, that’s your prerogative.  I just want to make sure _you_ are okay.”

“I’m fine,” Clarke said, giving her a smile.

“Okay,” Dr. Ellison replied.  “I just thought I would check.  I know it’s been a hard year.”

“Yeah,” Clarke agreed.  “I’m fine, though.  Now.”

“In that case, I’ll see you Friday,” Dr. Ellison said, picking up her bag from the desk.

After leaving the building, Clarke began walking across campus, but instead of going back to her room, she decided to make a pit-stop first.

“Can I help you?” a guy asked when Clarke walked into the room and just stood there, glancing around.

“I was hoping you could answer a few questions for me,” Clarke replied.  “I’ve been doing some research into something that happened at the school twenty years ago.  I haven’t been able to find as much about it as I was hoping.  I was trying to find what all the school paper wrote about it, but the microfilm reels for around that time appear to have been lost.  The librarian who helped me told me I might try coming to the source.”

“Yeah, Evelyn, can you help this girl?” he called across the room.  “She’s looking for some information about something that happened—when was it?”

“In 1996,” Clarke answered.

“In 1996!” he continued.  “The microfilm’s missing from the library.”

“Let me guess, Alison Easton and Alexandria Woods’ murder?” Evelyn said, walking up to them.

“I’m guessing not a lot else happened in 1996?” Clarke replied.

“Nothing as big as that,” Evelyn said.  “Every now and then, someone comes asking about it.  So, what do you want to know?”

“Well, I already know the two were killed in their room and that they found Lexa’s body a few days later but never found Alison’s—”

“Lexa?” Evelyn said.

“My family knew her,” Clarke quickly lied.  “Anyway, I read about how they thought a local coven may be involved, and I know they found a man’s DNA in the woods, near Lexa’s body, but they never found out who it belonged to.  I was just wondering if you could tell me anything else or maybe tell me who I could speak to.”

“I don’t think I would take the whole coven thing very seriously if I were you,” Evelyn replied.  “Back then, people were quick to blame the occult for things like this.  And the coven was an easy target.  As far as I know, they questioned them all, but they never linked anyone to either of the girls.  As far as if I could tell you who else to talk to—well, the only people who may know more are the officers who worked on the case or the girls’ families.  Alison’s family moved not long after it happened.  As far as I know, Alexandria’s sister still lives here, though.”

“She has a sister?” Clarke asked with a frown.

“Yep,” Evelyn replied.  “The bad news is she doesn’t talk to anyone, so I don’t know how much information you’ll be able to get out of her.” She scribbled something down on a piece of paper and handed it to Clarke.  “Maybe you’ll be lucky, but I’ve heard that several of our reporters have tried to talk to her over the years and they’ve all been told where to shove it.”

Clarke nodded.  “Well, thank you for your time.  Hopefully this will help.”

“Can I ask what the research is for?” Evelyn asked, stopping Clarke.

Clarke turned back to look at the other woman.  “I’m just trying to help a friend.”

* * *

 

Clarke groaned in annoyance as she tossed her laptop onto her bed.  She had been looking for Lexa’s sister for the past hour and, so far, she had come up completely empty.  She had looked on all the social media sites and searched the web for Anya Tsetsang, but she hadn’t found a single picture, and she certainly hadn’t been fortunate enough to find an address or phone number.  She couldn’t even figure out if Lexa’s sister still lived in town or if she was halfway across the world.

“Clarke.”

“Jesus!” the blonde said, jumping, her heart feeling like it was going to jump out of her chest.

“Not quite,” Lexa replied.

Clarke huffed and then crossed her arms over her chest.  “Could you maybe knock next time?  You said you can move things, so can’t you knock?”

“I tried,” Lexa said, glancing down.  “It’s not always easy.”

“So, did you just come to scare the shit out of me?” Clarke asked.

“No,” Lexa replied, walking toward the bed, where Clarke was sitting.  “May I?”

“Yeah,” Clarke said, picking up her laptop, and putting it on the other side.

“Is this what you usually do with your evenings?” Lexa asked, nodding to the television.

“Actually, I was looking into something,” Clarke replied.  “The movie was just background noise.” Clarke cleared her throat and put her laptop in her lap.  “I’ve actually been trying to find your sister.”

Lexa furrowed her brows for a moment before her confused expression disappeared and she whispered, “Anya.”

“Did you forget about her?” Clarke asked.

Lexa shook her head but then gave a slight nod a few seconds later.  “I suppose I did.  Although, it’s not that exactly.  I told you how some of my memories from my life before I died are fuzzy.  The memories are still there, but I can’t always seem to access them.  And a lot of the time it seems like it’s the most important memories that I cannot recall.”

“I’m sorry,” Clarke said, instinctively reaching out for Lexa’s hand, but stopping when she realized what she was doing.  “But you remember her now, right?  Your sister.”

Lexa slowly nodded.  “She was my foster sister.  We got put in the same home when I was eleven and she was fourteen.  She was angry and I was afraid, though I would never admit it.  I was too stubborn for that.  But Anya always looked out for me.  She stopped the kids at school from picking on me, and she always made sure I was taken care of when our foster parents were too busy to do it.”

“She sounds like a great sister,” Clarke softly said.

“I can’t believe I forgot about her,” Lexa whispered.

“I don’t think you should blame yourself,” Clarke replied.  “You said it’s the most important things that you seemed to forget?  Maybe that was just your way of coping with all of this.  Maybe it would be too painful otherwise.  To remember all the things you had lost and could never get back.”

“Why are you doing this, Clarke?” Lexa asked.

“Doing what?” Clarke asked back.

“All of this,” Lexa answered.  “Why are you helping me?  You don’t know me; you could just walk away.”

“Because you deserve to be able to move on,” Clarke said.  “I may not know you, Lexa, but that doesn’t mean I want you to be stuck like this.”  Clarke looked down.  “My dad died nine months ago.  He was in a car accident.  There was a drunk driver and he hit his car head-on.  My dad never even made it to the hospital; he was pronounced dead at the scene.” She wiped away a tear and looked over at Lexa again.  “I need to help you because I keep thinking about what it would be like if my dad was in your position, unable to talk to the people he cared about, unable to even remember them—I need to help you.”

Lexa stared at her for a moment before standing up and nodding. “I should go.” Lexa walked forward to the door but paused and looked over her shoulder.  “Thank you, Clarke.  For everything.”

“You’re welcome,” Clarke replied as Lexa took a step forward and walked through the closed door.


	4. Chapter 4

“Hey, are you busy tomorrow evening?” Clarke asked as she highlighted one of the sentences in her textbook.

Raven’s eyebrow rose.  “Why?”

“I was just wondering if you could come somewhere with me,” Clarke replied.

“That depends,” Raven said, dropping her pencil onto her desk, and leaning back in her chair.

“On?” Clarke asked.

“What you have in mind,” Raven answered.  “Because if it’s another one of those student art shows, I don’t think I can take another.  I’ll go and look at whatever you’ve done, but that’s it.  The painted mannequin heads in the last show were the final straw.  Your classmates are weird and have terrible taste.”

Clarke shook her head.  “It’s not an exhibition.  I’m just going to talk to someone and I’ve never been there before, so I would like someone to go with me.  If you can’t, I’ll ask Octavia or Bellamy.”

“You’ve never needed someone to go new places with you before,” Raven remarked as she stood up and grabbed her bag.

“I, um—I promised a friend I wouldn’t go alone,” Clarke replied.  “I mean, I don’t think it’s going to be dangerous or anything, but I guess better safe than sorry.”

“Fine, I’ll go,” Raven said, zipping up her hoodie, and shouldering her bag.  “I’m going to be late for class, though.”

Clarke nodded.  “I’ll see you in a few hours.”

“Yeah,” Raven said, throwing her hand up.

“Friend?” Lexa questioned as soon as Raven had closed the door behind her.

“What am I going to say?” Clarke asked, turning to Lexa, who was sitting on the blonde’s bed.  “I promised the ghost girl that I wouldn’t be alone with any potential murderer?  The less Raven knows right now, the better.  Not that I think your sister is a murderer.”

“It’s fine, Clarke,” Lexa replied.  “I had you promise you would not go alone, and I am glad you are sticking to that.  I know Anya would never hurt me, but you’re right when you said better safe than sorry.”

Clarke wondered if Lexa’s sister would even talk to her; she knew from the woman at the campus newspaper that she hadn’t talked to anyone, and Lexa had told her that Anya wasn’t the most open person in the world even before her death.  Clarke wanted to try, though.  She was hoping Anya would know something that wasn’t reported or maybe even have her own suspicions as to who had killed her sister.  She knew that getting Anya to talk was probably going to be a challenge and maybe even impossible, but that wasn’t going to stop Clarke from trying.  And if she had to go over and over until she finally spoke to her, Clarke was willing to do it.

The only reason Clarke had found Anya was because of Lexa.  She had remembered her going by another name in the past when she didn’t want people bugging her.  Sure enough, when Clarke did a Facebook search for Anya Silva, there she was.  There were only a few pictures of the woman, but Lexa had recognized the place in the background of one of them.  The ghost had quickly disappeared after that only to come back a few hours later, saying she had located her sister.

“Have you planned when you will go tomorrow?” Lexa asked.

“I’ll be out of class before one, but I imagine your sister works, so I think it will be best if I wait until after five to go or I’ll probably be sitting around for a while,” Clarke said.

Lexa nodded.  “That’s probably wise.”

“I occasionally have good ideas,” Clarke said, giving the ghost a wry smile.  “I just hope she’s willing to talk to me once I’m there.  From what I’ve been told, I don’t have high hopes.  And even if she does talk to me, there’s no guarantee she’s going to be able to tell me what I need to know.  I just hope she can point me in some sort of direction.”

“There’s no hurry, Clarke,” Lexa replied.  “I’ve been here for twenty years; a few more won’t kill me.”

“Ha ha,” Clarke drawled.

Lexa shrugged.  “I thought it was funny.”

“Well, something tells me you’ve never been known for your sense of humor,” Clarke replied.

“Something tells me you haven’t been, either,” Lexa retorted.

“You’re right,” Clarke replied.  “But that doesn’t make your joke any funnier.”

“If you say so,” Lexa said, standing up, and turning toward Clarke.  “I should leave you to study.  I know trying to help me has taken up a lot of your time, so I’ll not take up any more today.  Have a good evening, Clarke.”

* * *

 

“So, why are we here?” Raven asked the next day when they were standing in front of Anya’s apartment, looking up at the building.

“I told you, I need to ask someone a few questions,” Clarke answered.

“How many times is she going to ask you that?” Lexa said.

Clarke glanced at Lexa but otherwise ignored the question.  She couldn’t exactly respond without Raven wondering who the hell she was talking to, and Clarke wasn’t quite ready to have that conversation.

“But what you haven’t told me is who you’re here to see and what the hell you’re asking them about,” Raven said, throwing her hands up.  “Unless—” She narrowed her eyes.  “Please tell me this isn’t about that murder.”

Clarke looked away, locking eyes with Lexa for a moment.  “It’s going to look weird if we keep standing out here.  We should probably knock.”

Raven rolled her eyes.  “You’re only saying that because you’re avoiding the question.  Which I guess means I have my answer.  Clarke—”

“You can criticize me later, okay?” Clarke interrupted.  “Right now I need to talk to her foster sister to see if she can tell me anything about Lexa’s murder.”

“Lexa?” Raven asked.  “Since when are you on a first name basis with the dead girl?  What—do you think you’re going to somehow solve a twenty year old murder?  Come on, Clarke; I know this has been a shitty year for you, but don’t you think you’re going a little overboard with this?  So, you maybe saw her ghost in the hallway.  That doesn’t mean you’re responsible for figuring out what happened to her.”

“It’s a little more complicated than that,” Clarke replied.  “I don’t have time to explain right now.  I just need you to come with me.  Can you do that?”

“Well, I’m already here.” Raven sighed and began walking toward the front door to the apartment building.

“I guess we’re going in,” Clarke mumbled to Lexa.

“She lives on the second floor,” Lexa said as she and Clarke followed after Raven.  “Don’t let your friend talk too much.” Clarke frowned and looked at Lexa, hoping she would understand the question she couldn’t ask aloud.  “I know Anya; she won’t like Raven.  She’ll get annoyed if Raven speaks too much and she’ll make both of you leave.  So take my advice and don’t let your friend talk if you want to be able to ask Anya any questions.”

Clarke nodded and walked through the door Raven was holding open for her.  Together, they silently walked up to the second floor and Clarke followed Lexa’s instructions to Anya’s apartment.  When Clarke stopped in front of apartment 2C, she glanced at Raven for a second, and then looked to Lexa before finally raising her hand and knocking on the wooden door.

The door opened quickly, and Clarke found herself face to face with a woman who looked more than a little annoyed that she was being disturbed.  For a moment, Clarke was so surprised that she actually forgot what she was doing there, and when she finally realized that she should say something, Anya had said, “Not interested.”

“Wait!” Clarke called out as Anya began closing the door in her face.  “Please.”

“Tell her you’re not here to sell anything,” Lexa advised.   “She hates solicitors.”

“I’m not here to sell anything,” Clarke said as Anya slowly began opening the door again.  “And I promise I’m also not here to convert you to some religion.”

“I’m still not interested,” Anya said, shutting the door.

“Tell her beja sen ai op,” Lexa hurriedly said

“What?” Clarke harshly whispered, earning a confused look from Raven.

“Beja sen ai op,” Lexa repeated.

“Um, beja sen ai op,” Clarke said, wondering what the hell she’s just said.

Clarke listened as the footsteps within the apartment stopped.  A few moments later, though, they grew louder and the door flew open.

“What did you just say?” Anya asked.

“I—” Clarke glanced at Lexa and then turned to Raven.  “Can you wait in the car?”

Raven scoffed.  “What?”

“Please,” Clarke said.  “Just—give me second.”

Raven scowled but did as Clarke asked without further complaint.  The moment she was out of sight, Clarke motioned toward Anya’s apartment and asked, “May I?”

“No,” Anya said, crossing her arms over her chest.  “I want you to tell me how you knew to say that.”

“I know you’re going to find this hard to believe; even I know how crazy it all sounds and I’m the one experiencing it, but—Lexa told me,” Clarke said, immediately seeing the change on Anya’s face.  “I first saw her a week ago in the hallway of Polis Hall.  I live on the same floor she lived on.  I knew nothing about her until after I told my two best friends that I saw a girl and my hand went through her arm.  Apparently there have been rumors of her haunting it for years, though.”

“She doesn’t believe you,” Lexa commented.  “Tell her ge smak daun, gyon op nodotaim.  It’s what she used to tell me.”

“She wants me to tell you ge smak daun, gyon op nodotaim,” Clarke relayed.  “She says it’s what you used to tell her.”

“You’re saying she’s here right now?” Anya said with an unreadable expression.

“Yes,” Clarke replied.

“I’m covering someone’s shift tonight, and I have to get ready or I’m going to be late,” Anya stated.  “There’s a restaurant across the street.  Meet me there tomorrow at noon.”

“I—” Clarke nodded.  “I’ll be there.”

“I’ll admit, I thought that would be harder,” Lexa said as Anya closed the door.

“I wouldn’t exactly call that easy,” Clarke remarked.

Lexa gave her a slight smile.  “You would if you knew my sister.  Consider this a victory, Clarke.”

* * *

 

“So, are you going to tell me what the hell happened up there?” Raven asked as soon as Clarke opened the door and got into the car.  “And why you brought me along just to make me leave.”

“I just had the feeling she wouldn’t talk to me if we were both there,” Clarke lied.  “I didn’t want her to feel like we were ganging up on her.  But at least if something had happened to me, you would have known where I was and maybe saved me.”

Raven sighed and slumped down in the seat.  “You didn’t answer my first question.”

“Nothing really happened,” Clarke answered.  “She had to go to work, so we’re going to meet for lunch tomorrow.  Hopefully she’ll be able to answer some of my questions then.”

“So what now?” Raven asked.

“Now, I have one more place to go,” Clarke said, turning her car on, and glancing in her rear-view mirror at Lexa.

“What are you doing, Clarke?” Lexa asked.

“Are you okay with coming with me?” Clarke asked, ignoring Lexa’s question.

Raven shrugged.  “I guess I don’t have anything better to do.”

“I was hoping you would say that,” Clarke said with a smile as she put her car in reverse and pulled out of the parking spot.

Clarke drove across town, trying to ignore the comments from both Lexa and Raven.  Both wanted to know where Clarke was taking them, but she knew if she told either of them that their objections would soon follow.  She’d made up her mind about going, though, and she wasn’t going to let either talk her out of it.

“You’re slowing down,” Lexa observed.

“Are we finally there?” Raven asked.

“Yes,” Clarke said.  “Can you wait here for me?  If I don’t come back in fifteen minutes, text me.  And if you haven’t heard from me in twenty, feel free to call the police.”

“Seriously?” Raven raised her eyebrow.  “How about I go with you.  Or better yet—maybe you start this car back and we both get the hell out of here.”

“I agree with your friend,” Lexa cut in.

“I shouldn’t be too long,” Clarke said as she opened her door.

“I hope you don’t think I’m going to stay in the car,” Clarke heard from behind her as she began walking across the street.  “Your friend was already turning on the radio to some obnoxious song.”

Clarke shook her head but had a smile on her face.  “I never believed you would.”

“Are you going to tell me why we are here, Clarke?” Lexa asked, catching up to the blonde.

Clarke sighed, knowing Lexa was probably not going to like it when she told her.  “You have to promise not to try to stop me.”

“Clarke—”

“I mean it,” Clarke interrupted.

“Fine, I will not stop you,” Lexa promised.

“There’s a coven who meets here,” Clarke confessed, and as soon as the words were out of her mouth, Lexa had stopped.  Clarke sighed again before slowly coming to a stop and turning around to face her.  “What?”

“This is too dangerous,” Lexa stated.

“It’s not the same coven from twenty years ago,” Clarke said, motioning for them to continue walking.  “I haven’t been able to find anyone from the coven back then, and I want to see if any of the people in this one can give me a name.  And I know you think it could be dangerous, but this is the easiest way.  Actually, it’s the only way.”

“There must be another way,” Lexa replied.

“Well, if you tell me one in the next thirty seconds, I’ll go with it,” Clarke remarked.

Clarke opened the door to the building and followed the hallways until she found the room she was looking for.  She’d found the group’s Facebook page and knew they were having a meeting that evening.  She just hoped one of them would be able to tell her what she wanted to know.

“No one looks familiar, do they?” Clarke mumbled to Lexa.

“No,” Lexa replied.  “I do not recognize anyone here.”

“Can I help you?” the nearest woman asked when she noticed Clarke standing nearby.

“I was hoping I could ask someone a few questions,” Clarke said, giving the woman a smile.  “It’s about a coven that was around here twenty years ago.”

“I’m sorry, this is a closed group,” the woman stated.

“I’m just looking for some information,” Clarke said.  “There was a coven in 1996 that was—”

“I know what they were accused of,” she interrupted.

“I was just wondering if you could give me the name of anyone that was in it,” Clarke said, though she doubted she was going to get anywhere with this woman.  “I promise I’m not looking for trouble and I have no interest in trying to pin what happened on any of them.  I’m just doing some research on what happened, and I was hoping I could talk to someone who could give me some insight.”

“I’m sorry, I can’t help you,” the woman replied.

“Clarke.”

“What?” Clarke asked.

“I said I can’t help you,” the woman repeated, clearly thinking Clarke was talking to her.

Clarke looked at Lexa and followed her gaze.  A woman was staring at her from across the room, but as soon as Clarke looked her way, she crossed her arms and began walking.

“Okay, thanks,” Clarke distractedly said as she began following the woman who had been watching her.

* * *

 

“Clarke!  Clarke, stop.  You promised me you wouldn’t put yourself in danger, and I believe following a strange woman who could have been involved in my death is the very definition of putting yourself in danger.”

“Noted,” Clarke replied, and she heard Lexa huff behind her.

“I mean it, Clarke,” Lexa said, walking in front of Clarke, who had to stop so she didn’t walk right through the ghost.  “I don’t want any harm to come to you.”

“It’s not as if I want to get hurt, either,” Clarke replied.  “But I’m going to figure this out, and to do that, I need information.”

“You are very stubborn,” Lexa said as Clarke began walking again.

“I’ve been told that before,” Clarke remarked.

She could practically feel Lexa scowling at her, but she ignored it as she continued walking down the hallways, looking in the rooms as she went through the community center.  She had no idea where the woman had gone, but Clarke figured she couldn’t have gone too far.

“Why are you following me?”

Clarke stopped in her tracks at the sound of the voice, and turned around to find the woman she had been looking for. Lexa had also turned, stepping between the older woman and Clarke, though Clarke knew there was nothing Lexa could do if the other woman tried to hurt her in any way.  Still, she appreciated the gesture.

“I thought maybe you could help me,” Clarke answered, taking a step forward.  “I saw you watching me, and I was hoping you could answer my questions.”

“Why were you asking about 1996?” she asked.

“I’ve been doing some research about the death of the two girls at the college,” Clarke began.  “I’ve looked online and at the papers from that time, but it’s still not enough.  I was hoping I could find someone from the coven that was believed by some to have been involved.  As I told the other woman, I’m not interested in trying to blame the coven for the deaths; I’m just hoping they can help guide me in the right direction.”

“Well, you found one,” the woman said.

“You were in it?” Clarke replied.

“I was new to the coven, but yes,” she answered.

“Can we maybe talk for a few minutes?” Clarke asked before holding out her hand.  “My name is Clarke, by the way.”

“Indra,” the other woman replied, briefly giving Clarke’s hand a strong shake.  “And who is your friend?”

“My friend?” Clarke asked, furrowing her brows.

Indra waved her hand in Lexa’s direction.  “I can feel we’re not alone.”

Clarke glanced at Lexa, who looked just as surprised as she felt.  “That’s, um—”

“I suppose she is the real reason you are asking about the murders,” Indra said.

Clarke hesitated for a moment but nodded.  “I’m trying to help her move on.”

“Which one is she?” Indra asked.

“Lexa,” Clarke answered.  “Alexandria.  I started seeing her a week ago.”

Indra stared at her for several seconds before motioning Clarke toward one of the rooms.  As she followed the woman, Clarke pulled out her phone and sent off a quick text to tell Raven she was okay so far and would be a little bit longer.  When she pocketed her phone and looked up, Indra was watching her closely, and Clarke couldn’t help feeling like she was being scrutinized.

“What is it that you want to know?” Indra asked.

“I guess my biggest question is what made them think the coven had anything to do with it? Clarke said.

“We were an easy target,” Indra said.  “People were already concerned about the occult, and then when the body was found in the woods, we become an easy scapegoat. Every full moon, the group met in those same woods, including the weekend of the murders, but far away from where the body was found.  That stretch of woods goes from campus, all along the western side of town, to the lake.  We met over three miles from where the body was discovered, but it didn’t matter to some people.  They wanted to believe we did it.  But it couldn’t possibly have been any of us; we were all together that night at the time of the murders, including me.”

Clarke nodded.  “Do you know if there were any rumors about who may have done it?  Did people think a certain person may have been involved but was never charged?”

“Most of the rumors were about us,” Indra replied.  “The coven went its separate ways after the accusations started.  I tried to stay out of everything, and I lost touch with just about everyone.  That’s all I know.  Beyond that, I can’t help you.  “

Clarke sighed lightly and then nodded again.  “Well, thank you for taking the time to talk to me.”

“Be careful who you talk to,” Indra said as Clarke turned to walk away.  “Some people are willing to do anything to keep a secret.”

* * *

 

Clarke unlocked her door and froze when she opened it to find Raven, Octavia, Jasper, Monty, and Bellamy all sitting around the room.

“We were wondering when you were going to join us,” Bellamy said, giving her a smile.

“What are you all doing here?” Clarke asked.

Jasper waved his hand toward the television.  “It’s Friday night.”

“Oh, right,” Clarke said.

With everything going on, she had completely forgotten that her friends were coming over to watch a movie.  Since coming back to campus, she had been at the library to try to catch up on her reading for class before she eventually decided to just do the rest of it in the morning.  It had been a long day and she really just wanted to crawl into bed and sleep for half a day, but now she realized that wasn’t going to happen anytime soon.

“Goodnight, Clarke.”

“Wai—” Clarke closed her mouth the moment she realized no one else in the room could hear Lexa.  It was something she was still getting used to and it only seemed to be getting harder.  Over the past week, she had begun to get used to Lexa being around, and the more comfortable she became with it, the more she seemed to forget that she was the only one who could see and hear her.

“What movie do you finally pick?” Clarke asked, hoping to cover her slip-up.

“The Craft,” Octavia answered.

“Which isn’t exactly a horror movie,” Jasper grumbled.

“Quit whining,” Raven said, rolling her eyes.

Clarke hummed and took a step back, glancing down the hallway, but Lexa was already gone.  Clarke was hoping she hadn’t gotten too far, though, as she quickly said, “I’ll be right back.”

“You didn’t have to leave, you know?” Clarke said when she walked out of the building and found Lexa sitting on the steps.

“You are with your friends, Clarke,” Lexa replied.

“So?” Clarke asked.

“So, I have taken up enough of your time today,” Lexa said.  “I’m sure you are getting tired of my presence.”

Clarke shook her head as she sat down next to Lexa.  “If I wanted you to go away, I would tell you.  Having you around doesn’t bother me.”

“You are behind on your class work,” Lexa stated.

“You’re right,” Clarke replied.  “I need to focus on school a little more and not worry so much about trying to solve all of this in a day or two, but that’s my fault, not yours.  Sometimes I can get a little single-minded about things.  It probably has something to do with how stubborn I am.”

“Actually, I think it probably has to do with you being a good person,” Lexa said.  “You don’t have to do any of this, but you are.  Not everyone would.  Most would have been afraid, but you sought me out and offered your help.  Even before that, you spoke to me for no reason.”

“There was a little reason,” Clarke admitted.  “I—thought you were cute.  It’s kind of why I noticed you in the first place.  And then I kept seeing you around campus, so I thought I would introduce myself.” Clarke shook her head but had a slight smile on her face.  “I was dating this guy for a while, but he turned out to be bit of an asshole.  Raven and Octavia keep telling me how I need to get back out there, so I thought I would try.  I figured apologizing for the noise would be a start and then I was going to see if maybe you’d want to join us for the next movie.  Things didn’t go quite as planned, though.”

“I see,” Lexa replied.

“Yeah,” Clarke said, standing up after a moment.  “So how ‘bout it?”

“How about what?” Lexa asked back as she looked up at her.

“Would you want to join us for the movie?” Clarke said, nodding toward the door. 

“I don’t know if that would be a good idea,” Lexa replied.

“It’s not a bad movie.” Clarke said with a light shrug.  “And you told me you sometimes go into someone’s room to watch a movie when you’re bored.  So, watch one with us.  Unless you have something better to do.”

“Okay, Clarke,” Lexa said, standing up.  “I will join you.”

“Good.”  Clarke smiled.  “And I’ll make sure no one tries to sit on you.”

“I would appreciate that,” Lexa replied, smiling back.


	5. Chapter 5

“I hoped you would be out here,” Clarke said, ignoring the looks she got from the people passing by.

“It’s a nice day,” Lexa commented.  “Spending it outside seemed better than spending it in the library.”

Clarke nodded.  “It feels nice out here.  Can you—”

“What?” Lexa asked when Clarke didn’t continue.

“Can you feel things?” Clarke wondered.  “The cool air, the breeze, the sun—can you feel it?”

“Not the way you can,” Lexa replied.  “I can tell when one room is colder than another, but it doesn’t affect me.  I don’t get hot or cold.  I could sit in the snow and I can sense that it’s cold, but it doesn’t make me cold.  Does that make any sense?”

“I think I know what you’re saying,” Clarke said.

“I’m surprised to see you up this early,” Lexa said

Clarke laughed lightly. “Me too.”

Her friends hadn’t left her room until nearly two thanks to Jasper’s insistence on watching a real horror movie once the first movie had ended.  Part of Clarke had wanted to kick everyone out, but she could tell Lexa was enjoying herself during The Craft and Clarke really didn’t have the heart to put an end to their movie night.

“My mom actually called me about an hour ago,” Clarke said, walking to the bottom of the steps, and turning to Lexa.  “That’s why I’m up so early.  She wants me to come over.”

“I didn’t know you were from around here,” Lexa replied.

“I was born here, but we moved when I was less than a year old,” Clarke said.  “I grew up in Washington, D.C. before my parents and I moved back here when I was twelve.  We came here when my mom got the offer to become Chief of Surgery at Arkadia Memorial.  I didn’t want to leave D.C., but my mom thought it was too good of an opportunity to pass up.  And my dad—my dad always said he never cared where we lived as long as we were together.”  Clarke shook her head.  “Anyway, I came to ask you if you would want to come with me.  I don’t know how long I’ll be there, so I may have to go straight from there to see Anya, and I know you want to be there when I talk to your sister.”

“Are you sure?” Lexa asked.  “I don’t want to intrude.”

“It’s fine,” Clarke replied.  “My mom and I will just talk about school and work and my current lack of a love life.  Not much to intrude on.  Come on; my car is just over there.”

Clarke began walking toward the parking lot next to Polis Hall with Lexa trailing just behind her.  As she walked past a small group of people, she noticed them whispering while staring at her.  She knew it had to be because she had been talking to herself—or what they assumed was her talking to herself—but she really didn’t care.

“Those people were staring at you,” Lexa remarked as Clarke opened the driver’s side door and got in.

“Let them,” Clarke replied.

“You don’t care?” Lexa asked.

“I don’t want to have to find a secluded place every time I want to talk to you,” Clarke said, starting the car, and pulling out of the parking spot.

Clarke could see out of the corner of her eye that Lexa was staring at her, but the ghost didn’t say anything, looking away after a few moments.

“Are you okay, Clarke?” Lexa asked after several minutes of silence.  “You seem tense.”

“I’m fine,” Clarke replied.  “I just—I don’t really like going home.  I love my mom, but it’s hard.  For both of us.  It feels wrong without my father there.  And I spend the entire time trying not to talk about him because I can see what it does to my mom.”

“I’m sorry,” Lexa said.  “I know what it’s like.”

“Is that why you were in foster care?” Clarke asked.

Lexa nodded.  “My mother died when I was young and my father decided he couldn’t care for me.  So he dropped me off at school one day and he never returned for me.”

“That’s—” Clarke shook her head.  “I can’t imagine a parent just abandoning their child like that.”

“That’s because you grew up with great parents,” Lexa replied.  “You’re lucky, Clarke.  From what you told me, it sounds as if they love you very much.  I’m just sorry you lost your father far too soon.”

Clarke nodded and tried to ignore the tears that were threatening to fall.  Before she could say anything, though, she felt Lexa touch her hand.  It was just for a second, but instead of Lexa’s going through hers, it actually rested atop it from a moment.

“I didn’t know you could do that,” Clarke remarked when Lexa pulled her hand away.

“I didn’t know I could, either,” Lexa replied.  “I just forgot for a moment.”

“Do you forget very often?” Clarke asked.

“No,” Lexa replied.  “Though it seems to happen more when I am around you.”

“Is that a bad or a good thing?” Clarke asked.

“I’ll let you know,” Lexa replied.

* * *

 

“Mom?” Clarke called out as she shut the front door behind her.

“I’m in here!” Abby called out, and Clarke walked into the living room to find her standing next to the wall.

“What are you doing?” Clarke asked.

“Trying to pick out a new color for the living room,” Abby said, turning around, and holding up two paint samples.  “I can’t decide between the light grey and the blue.” Abby shrugged and then walked over, giving Clarke a hug.  “How are you, sweetie?”

“Good,” Clarke answered.  “I’ve been busy lately.”

“I’ve heard,” Abby replied.

“What do you mean?” Clarke asked, wondering who her mom could have possibly heard it from.

“We need to talk,” Abby stated.

Clarke frowned.  “Is everything okay?  Are _you_ okay?”

“I received a call from an old friend last night,” Abby said, tossing the paint samples onto the table, and then turning toward Clarke.  “She told me my daughter was asking about a murder that happened twenty years ago.”

“Who did you—wait.” Clarke shook her head.  “Why would they have called you?”

“Because Indra knew people may start talking, and she wanted to warn me,” Abby replied.  “You shouldn’t be so open about asking these things, Clarke.  It took people a long time to forgot about what happened back then, and you shouldn’t be dredging it up.  People were finally able to get on with their lives after the accusations.  Please stay out of it.”

“How do you know so much about this?” Clarke asked.  “And what else did she tell you?”

Abby sighed and then motioned for Clarke to sit down.  “I know because I was a part of it.  The coven.  And so was your father; that’s how we met.  As for what else she told me—the only thing she said was that I may want to talk to you.”

“What?” Clarke asked.  “Why did neither of you say anything about this?”

“Because we didn’t see a point in it,” Abby replied.

“Not even when I started college?” Clarke asked.  “Or when I moved onto the same floor the two girls were killed on?”

“It’s in the past,” Abby said.  “We didn’t see a reason to bring it up.  It was one of the most difficult things your father and I ever went through and we didn’t want to talk about it.”

“You still should have told me,” Clarke replied.  “And, I’ll be more careful about asking around, but I’m not going to stay out of it.  I can’t.  I’m trying to help a friend.”

“I noticed,” Abby said.

Abby’s eyes landed directly on Lexa, who was standing to the side.  Clarke followed her gaze, looking between her mom and Lexa, but she was at a loss for words.

“Does anyone else want some coffee?” Abby asked, standing up.

“Wait!” Clarke said, jumping up, and following her mom into the kitchen.  “Do you see her?”

“Not exactly,” Abby replied.  “Your father could sometimes.  I suppose you got it from him.  I can feel her presence, though.”  Abby picked up the coffee pot and began filling two mugs.  “She’s calmer than most of the ghosts I’ve felt.  What’s her name?”

“Lexa,” Clarke answered.

Abby nodded and poured some creamer into her coffee before turning to her daughter.  “I understand wanting to help her, but you need to be careful.  Don’t just go asking anyone about it.  It could be dangerous.”

“Why do you think that?” Clarke asked.

“Because there were a lot of things that never felt right,” Abby replied.  “I’ve always believed there was a reason the murder was never solved.  First they tried to blame Lexa’s ex for the murder, then a boy that lived on the floor above her, and when both of those people had alibis, they tried to pin it on the coven.  I think it was because someone didn’t want the murderer to be caught.  Whether that someone was in the media or working on the case, I don’t know, but if that person finds out that you’re digging into things, you could be in danger.  I know I can’t stop you, but I do hope you take my advice.  I’ve already lost Jake this year; I wouldn’t survive losing you as well.”

Clarke opened her mouth to tell her mom that wasn’t going to happen, but she froze when she looked down.  “Mom?”

Abby looked down at her coffee, which was stirring itself.  “I guess there are a few other things we need to discuss.”

* * *

 

“Are you okay, Clarke?”

Clarke took a deep breath and slowly released it before nodding.  She was still trying to wrap her head around everything her mother had told her, but she was still having a hard time with some of it.  She and Lexa had been sitting on a bench in the park for the past thirty minutes, and she felt like she had been in a daze the whole time.

“Because you haven’t said a word since we left your mother’s house,” Lexa added.

“I’m just processing everything,” Clarke replied.  “It’s not every day you find out your father could see ghosts and that your parents both have some sort of magical power.  When I heard about the coven, I assumed they were just Wiccans.  I didn’t think _this_.”

“Are you having second thoughts about your offer to help me?” Lexa asked.

“No,” Clarke replied, shaking her head.

“Because you should,” Lexa said.  “I don’t want you putting your life on the line for me.  This sounds more dangerous than either of us knew, and I think you should reconsider.”

“I’m not reconsidering anything,” Clarke replied.  “I will be more careful, but I meant it when I told my mom I wasn’t going to let this stop me.”

Lexa stared at her for a moment before nodding.  “I can see that you’re not going to let anyone talk you out of this.”

“I’m glad that’s settled,” Clarke said, giving Lexa a small smile.  “So, I have to ask, why didn’t you ever tell me about your ex being a possible suspect?”

“Because I know Costia, and she would never have hurt me or anyone else,” Lexa answered.  “Even after we broke up, we remained friends.  There were no hard feelings for either of us; we just grew apart and were no longer right for each other.”

“Okay,” Clarke said, clearing her throat.  “And this guy who lived above you?”

Lexa shook her head.  “I don’t remember him.  I don’t really remember any of the people who lived around me.  I don’t even really remember my roommate.”

“But you remember Costia?” Clarke said.

Lexa nodded.  “I remember her very well.  Other than my mom and Anya, she’s the only person who ever loved me.  We met in class.  It was the first week, and this girl sat down next to me.  I was nervous; I never thought I would be able to go to college and I didn’t want to mess it up.  Costia just started talking to me like we had known each other forever.  It put me at ease.  It took me two months to get the courage to ask for her phone number.  She just smiled and told me she wondered how long it was going to take me to ask.  We dated for a just over two years.”

“She sounds wonderful,” Clarke commented.

“She was,” Lexa softly replied.

Clarke looked down at her phone when she felt it buzz, but it was just a text from Raven asking if she was still alive.  Clarke rolled her eyes and sent her friend back a text that said ‘no’, and a few seconds later she received a picture of Raven flipping her off.

“We’re supposed to meet Anya in twenty minutes,” Clarke said as she pocketed her phone.

“Are you certain you don’t want to postpone meeting her?” Lexa asked.

“I’ll be okay,” Clarke replied.  “It’ll be a nice distraction.”

“Alright,” Lexa said.

Clarke looked over at Lexa.  “What can you tell me about her?  Anya.”

“I don’t know if I could tell you anything that you would find helpful,” Lexa replied.  “She’s probably a different person than the woman I knew.”

Clarke shrugged.  “Try.  Even if she isn’t the person you remember, it can’t hurt.”

“Anya was—she can be very harsh,” Lexa said.  “She doesn’t care about a lot of people, but she’s very protective of the people she does love.  I was a little afraid of her when we first met.  She was never mean to me, but she could be quite intimidating.  She’s a good person; she just likes to keep people at arm’s length because there’s less risk of being hurt.  It’s when you let people in that you are truly vulnerable.  So don’t take it personally if she’s cold to you.  It’s just how she learned to survive.”

“And what about you?” Clarke asked.  “What did you do?”

“The same as Anya,” Lexa answered.

“Really?” Clarke asked.  “You seem pretty open with me.”

“What do I really have to lose now?” Lexa replied, giving Clarke a slight smile.

* * *

 

When Anya sat down across from Clarke, she looked entirely uninterested and even slightly angry.  Lexa had warned her that Anya may be like that, though, so Clarke wasn’t very surprised by it.  Especially given the brief interaction she’d had with her the previous day.

“Okay, let’s cut the chase,” Anya said the moment Clarke opened her mouth to say hello.  “Is she here?”

“Um, yeah,” Clarke said, slightly taken aback.  “She’s sitting next to me.”

“Prove it,” Anya replied.

“I—” Clarke looked at Lexa, who actually looked amused and completely unsurprised by her foster sister.  
“Ask her if she would rather I tell you about the time she tried to learn sword fighting or the story of her going to her senior prom,” Lexa said, a smirk slowly working its way across her face.”

“She wants to know if you’d rather her tell me the story of you learning sword fighting or about your prom,” Clarke relayed.

Anya glared.  “Neither.”

“Well, then, will you answer a few questions?” Clarke asked.

“You’re going to answer mine first,” Anya said, crossing her arms over her chest.

“Okay,” Clarke agreed.  “That’s fair.”

“How is she here?” Anya asked, glancing in the seemingly open spot next to Clarke.  “And how are you seeing her?”

“Lexa never moved on after she died,” Clarke answered.  “She doesn’t remember what happened or why she’s here, but we think it may be because her murder was never solved.  That’s why I’m trying to help her.  I’m trying to figure out who killed her so she can move on.  As for why I can see her and no one else can—apparently I inherited it from my dad.  I can’t tell you why I’m seeing her but can’t see any other ghosts, though.  Maybe I was just meant to help her.”

“Has she—been around me and I didn’t know it?” Anya asked.

Clarke glanced at Lexa before looking back at Anya and shaking her head.  “A lot of things from her life are foggy.” She looked at Lexa again for a moment to make sure she was okay.  “She didn’t remember you until I mentioned that she had a sister, and then it all came back to her.”

“Tell her I’m sorry,” Lexa said, ducking her head.

“She wants you to know she’s sorry,” Clarke said.

“So, she has no idea who killed her?” Anya asked.  “She doesn’t—” Anya sighed and closed her eyes for a moment.  “I was hoping I would finally find out who killed my sister.  It’s bad enough that this happened, but to know they’re still out there—I want to kill them myself.  They took away the only family I had while they’re still out there living their life.  It’s infuriating.”

“I know,” Clarke replied.  “I know what it’s like to lose a family member.  My dad was killed by a drunk driver in January and I can only imagine how much angrier I would be if the guy that did it had gotten away.  I’m going to figure out who killed Lexa, though; I don’t care how long it takes.”

Anya stared at her before nodding.  “Tell me how I can help.”

“Is there anything you can tell me?” Clarke asked.  “Was she having problems with anyone?  Or did she mention her roommate having problems?  Maybe Lexa was just at the wrong place at the wrong time.”

“I didn’t know much about her roommate,” Anya answered.  “They weren’t friends, but they also weren’t enemies or anything like that.  From what she told me, it was basically like they were two strangers sharing a room.  The only thing Lexa really complained about was how often Alison had her boyfriend over.”

“Did the police ever tell you anything?” Clarke asked.  “Anything the media may not have known.”

Anya shook her head.  “Trying to get the police to tell me anything was like pulling teeth.  They kept me in the dark about everything.  So much so that I threatened to punch the sheriff once.”

“That sounds about right,” Lexa commented, causing Clarke to laugh.

“What did she just say?” Anya asked.

“She, um, she said that sounded about right,” Clarke answered.

Anya rolled her eyes.  “Because she was always so much better.”

“So there’s nothing else you could tell me?” Clarke asked, ignoring Anya’s annoyance.

“No, but it’s possible this woman may remember something I’m forgetting,” Anya said, pulling a folded piece of paper out of her pocket, and sliding it across the table.  “She’s an investigator I hired for a while when the cops couldn’t seem to find a damn thing about Lexa’s murder.  I don’t know if she’ll be able to help, but I told her to expect a call.”

“Thank you,” Clarke replied.  “Do you want some lunch?  My treat.  Now that what I wanted to talk about is out of the way, I thought you may want to talk to your sister.”

* * *

 

Clarke ended the call and tossed her phone down in frustration before lying back on her bed with a huff.

“I assume it’s not good news,” Lexa remarked.

Clarke looked over at Lexa and shook her head.  “There isn’t much we didn’t already know.  She said it was one of the more difficult investigations she’s done because a lot of people didn’t want to talk.  She did say they questioned the man that lived above you; he was ruled out because he’d been at the library that night studying with a group, so he couldn’t have done it.  The only reason he was a suspect was because he’d asked out both you and your roommate, and Alison told several people he was stalking her.”

“What is his name?” Lexa asked.

“Augustus Fletcher,” Clarke answered.

Lexa lightly shook her head.  “I still don’t remember him.”

“She said she saw his obituary in the paper a few years ago,” Clarke said with a sigh.  “There went my plan of talking to him.”

“What are you going to do now?” Lexa asked.

“I don’t really know,” Clarke replied.  “I’ve talked to everyone I know to talk to.  A few days ago I would have just asked anyone who was in Arkadia at the time, but after what my mom said, I don’t know if it’s such a good idea.  I mean, what if she’s right?  What if it does put me in danger?  I can’t help you if something happens to me.  And I wouldn’t want to do that to my mom.”

“You do need to be careful,” Lexa said.  “The last thing I want is for something to happen to you.  It’s hard enough being stuck here; it would be even harder if I had the guilt of your death on my shoulders.  Plus—I’m getting used to having someone to talk to and I would rather not lose that.”

“Is that your way of saying you would miss me?” Clarke asked.

“Okay, you’re here,” Raven said, suddenly barging into the room.

“Is everything okay?” Clarke asked.

“That’s what I wanted to ask you,” Raven said, throwing her bag down on her bed.  “What the hell’s going on with you.  You’ve been acting weird all week, and I just had Harper telling me how she saw you talking to yourself the other day.  And not like the normal talking to yourself, but like you were having an entire conversation with yourself.  And I’ve had a psychology class, so I know a lot of mental illnesses show up in your early twenties, so—”

“Raven!” Clarke said, silencing her roommate.  “I’m fine.  I don’t have a mental illness.”

“Then what is it?” Raven asked, walking toward Clarke, and stepping through Lexa.  “And what the hell was that!” Raven turned around, waving her hand through the air, just missing Lexa as she quickly stepped out of the way.  “Seriously, what was that?”

“You may want to sit down,” Clarke suggested.

“Are you going to tell her?” Lexa asked.

“Yes,” Clarke answered.

“I didn’t ask anything,” Raven said, shaking her head.

“No, but Lexa did,” Clarke replied.  “She’s the ghost.  The one I saw in the hallway last weekend.  What you just felt was you walking through her.”

“Let me get this straight—when Harper saw you talking to yourself, you were really talking to a ghost?” Raven asked.

“Yes,” Clarke answered.  “I can see and talk to her like I’m seeing and talking to you.  I’m trying to help her move on.  That’s why I went to the community center and why I went to that apartment.  I thought if I could solve her murder that she wouldn’t be stuck here any longer.  Can you imagine what it would be like to have no one to talk to for twenty years?  To just exist and almost nothing more?”

Raven stared at Clarke for a moment before throwing her hands up and walking back to sit on her bed.  “I don’t know whether I should believe you or have you committed.”

Clarke looked over at Lexa, who narrowed her eyes while looking at Raven.  Clarke knew by her expression that she was going to do something.  Sure enough, Lexa turned to Clarke’s desk, grabbed a balled up Post-it note, and turned around, tossing it at Raven’s head.  If Raven noticed it coming at her, she didn’t try to stop it.  It hit her in the forehead, and she and Clarke both watched it as it fell to the floor with a slight bounce.

“That was kind of an asshole move,” Raven said as she looked down at the Post-it note.

Clarke shrugged.  “But now you believe me, don’t you?”

“Either that or I should be in the padded room next to you,” Raven replied, shaking her head.


	6. Chapter 6

Clarke opened the door and paused as she looked over at Raven, who was sitting up in her bed.  Raven ran her hand through her hair, and Clarke noticed her eyes darting around the room.

“Is she in the room?” Raven asked after a moment.

“No,” Clarke answered.  “She’s not usually here.  I don’t actually know where she is right now.  Probably either outside on the steps or maybe at the library.  She likes to read there.”

Raven nodded and Clarke figured that meant their conversation was over for the moment.  Raven had had a lot of questions, but they seemed to come in spurts.  Clarke could tell her friend was completely freaked out by all of it.  Not that she could blame her or anything.  Raven was very much a logical person, and what was happening very much defied logic.  Clarke was just glad she believed her and that Raven didn’t think she was trying to play an early Halloween prank on her or something.

“And how exactly does that work?” Raven asked.  “You know—her moving things.”

Clarke shrugged as she closed the door.  “I’m not really sure.  I don’t think even she really knows.  The only thing she’s said about it is that the lighter something is, the easier it is to move.  And she has to concentrate.” Clarke smiled.  “Which is how she smacked you in the face with that piece of paper.”

“But then at other times, she can go through things, right?” Raven asked, ignoring Clarke’s remark.  “You said your hand went through her when you first met her or whatever.  So does she become solid whenever she moves something or is it something else that’s happening?  Can she touch a person or is it just inanimate objects.”

“She can,” Clarke answered.  “She touched my hand once.”

Clarke tried to sound nonchalant as she added the last part, but Raven’s eyebrow rose.  Clarke ignored the look, though, and walked over to her closet.  She could still feel Raven’s eyes on her, but at least she didn’t have to see her roommate’s smirk.

“Can I ask you a question?” Raven asked after a minute..

“If I said no, would it stop you?” Clarke joked, looking over her shoulder.

“Bite me,” Raven replied, rolling her eyes.

“What’s your question?” Clarke asked.

“Are you sure I’m allowed to ask?” Raven retorted.

Clarke shook her head as she grabbed a sweater and jeans from her closet.  She knew Raven would eventually ask the question, so she wasn’t going to give her the satisfaction of trying to get it out of her.  As predicted, as soon as she began getting her clothes on, Raven asked, “What’s the reason you’re really helping?”

“What?” Clarke asked.

“That ghost—”

“Lexa,” Clarke supplied.

Raven sighed.  “Fine, Lexa.  I want to know why you are helping her.  And cut the crap about feeling bad for her.  Yeah, it would suck to have to be stuck for all eternity or whatever, but you’re putting a lot of work into helping someone you don’t know.”

“Who says I don’t know her?” Clarke asked.  “Maybe I haven’t known her that long, but I could easily imagine her being friends with us if she wasn’t—”

“Dead,” Raven interrupted.

Clarke rolled her eyes.  “Have you ever thought about using tact?”

“It’s not like she’s here to hear me,” Raven replied.  “And what, is it insulting to say she’s dead.  Am I supposed to say former human?  How about deceased American?”

“Don’t be an ass,” Clarke said.

“Answer my question,” Raven demanded.

“Why am I trying to help her?” Clarke asked.  “Why wouldn’t I?  Wouldn’t you want someone to help you if you were in her place.  I know I would.  Just like I would want someone to help my dad if he was stuck here.”

Raven narrowed her eyes.  “You like her.”

“What? No!  I just—”

“Like her,” Raven interrupted.  “She was who you saw on the way to the library.  And I believe your exact words were that she was gorgeous.  Plus, I’ve seen her picture.  Ignoring her terrible 90’s clothes, she was kinda hot.  If you like that sort of thing, which I know you do.  Just admit it.  You like her.”

“I’m not admitting anything,” Clarke replied.

“That’s because I’m right and you don’t want to admit it,” Raven said.  “And this brings up my next question.  How are you going to hook up with a ghost?”

“I’m not hooking up with anyone,” Clarke replied in annoyance.  “Ghost or otherwise.”

“And if she was just some girl you’d met?” Raven said.  “What then?  Would you still be saying this?” Raven smiled as she grabbed her towel.  “I’ll let you ponder that while I’m in the shower.”

“I’ll be sure to be gone when you come back, then,” Clarke replied.

Raven laughed.  “That’s fine, but you have to come home some time.”

* * *

 

Clarke glanced at her phone as it lit up with another text message.  She didn’t have to look to know it was Raven messaging her once again to give her shit about Lexa.  Clarke had been true to her word and had left by the time Raven had gotten back from the showers, and she hadn’t been back to the room since.  Mostly because she needed to get as much work done as possible after being behind all week, and partly because she didn’t want to deal with Raven’s questions and accusations.

Not that Raven was entirely wrong.  Ghost or not, Lexa was attractive.  Clarke had thought so from the moment she first saw her in the hallway.  But there was more than a little problem with having a crush on a ghost.  Not only was it impossible for anything to happen between them, but she was working on helping Lexa to move on.  Soon, if everything went well, Lexa wouldn’t even be around anymore.  And Clarke would be lying if she said the thought didn’t make her a little sad.

“Getting an early jump on that paper for my class?”

Clarke looked over her shoulder and saw Dr. Ellison standing there with a smile on her face.

“Oh, I—” Clarke lowered the lid to her laptop.

“I was just kidding,” Dr. Ellison said, walking forward.  “I noticed you sitting over here when I came in a few hours ago, and then when I saw you were still here as I was leaving, I thought I would stop over and say hi.”

“Yeah, I was just doing some research,” Clarke replied.  “And some reading and homework.  I’ve been here most of the day.”

“I see,” Dr. Ellison said.  “Well, I’ll leave you to it, then.  Good luck.”

“Thank you,” Clarke replied.  “I’ll see you in class tomorrow.”

Dr. Ellison nodded before turning on her heel and walking away, and Clarke opened her laptop again.  She had been working on a paper for one of her other classes before getting distracted with looking up Lexa once again.  She knew she had already been over everything multiple times by now, but she couldn’t help hoping there was something she had missed.  Because at the moment, she was at a loss as to what to do next.

“That really is a terrible picture of me.”

Clarke smiled as she looked at the screen.  “I don’t know; I think it’s kind of cute.”

“Well, then maybe you should have your college ID picture out there for the whole world to see and tell me how it feels,” Lexa replied.

Clarke laughed.  “I’ll pass.”

Clarke closed her laptop and turned in the seat to look at Lexa, who had fallen silent.  The ghost had her hands behind her back and she was looking down with an unreadable expression on her face.  Clarke could tell by the look in Lexa’s eyes that she had something on her mind, though.  It was the one thing that always seemed to give her away, which Clarke had quickly come to realize after getting to know her.

“This isn’t your usual spot,” Lexa commented as she walked over to the table next to Clarke.

“Someone was already sitting there when I came in this morning,” Clarke replied.

“So, you’ve been here all day,” Lexa said.  “I stopped by your room this morning, but I guess you were already here.”

“Was Raven there?” Clarke asked.

“Yes,” Lexa replied.  “Unfortunately, I couldn’t exactly ask her where you were or if you were going to be back in your room anytime soon.”

“Raven wouldn’t have known anyway,” Clarke said.  “Part of the reason I came here was to avoid her.”

“I assume there is a reason you are avoiding Raven,” Lexa replied.  “Does it have something to do with last night?”

“Not exactly,” Clarke said.  “She’s just being very Raven about something.  She’s actually pretty okay with last night.  Better than I thought she would be.  She had a lot of questions, but I knew she would.  Raven’s always liked to figure out how things work, and this is just another thing she’s trying to figure out.  She wants to know how you can move things, so don’t be surprised if she wants to try to do some experiment with you.”

Lexa nodded.  “I should probably let you get back to what you were doing.  I don’t want to interrupt your studies.”

“Actually, I was just looking through some of the newspapers again to see if I missed something,” Clarke replied.  “You don’t have to go if you don’t want.”

“Are you sure?” Lexa asked.

“Yeah.” Clarke smiled.  “If you haven’t noticed, I kind of like having you around.”

“Then maybe I will stay around for a bit,” Lexa said.

* * *

 

“Can she lift this?” Raven asked, holding up one of her thick, engineering textbooks.

“No,” Lexa answered.

“No,” Clarke relayed.

“Did she even try?” Raven asked.  “I didn’t feel that weird, cold feeling near my hand.  Tell her to stop being lazy.”

Clarke rolled her eyes.  “I don’t need to tell Lexa anything; she can hear what you’re saying.”

“I’m aware,” Raven replied.  “But I still want you to tell her to stop being so lazy.  I’m trying to figure out how this works, and to do that, she had to work with me.  So tell her to get off her ass and try lifting this.”

“I don’t need to try to know I can’t lift it,” Lexa stated.  “Although, I’m beginning to be willing to try in the off chance that I can throw it at her.”

“I think she’s getting tired,” Clarke said, looking at Raven.  “Maybe you should pick this up tomorrow.”

“Is there a reason you didn’t tell her what I actually said?” Lexa asked.

Clarke kept her mouth shut, knowing if she answered Lexa that Raven would want to know what the ghost had said.  Clarke was trying to keep the peace, though, which was surprisingly difficult considering one person couldn’t even communicate with the other.  But Raven and Lexa had been butting heads for the past two days.  Raven wanted to test Lexa’s limits, which Lexa was in no mood to do.  When Lexa did humor her, Raven often wasn’t satisfied with her effort.  And then there was Clarke, who stuck in the middle.  Sometimes quite literally.

“She said something, didn’t she?” Raven said after a few moments as she narrowed her eyes at Clarke.

“No,” Clarke lied.

“Yes,” Lexa said, though Raven obviously couldn’t hear her response.

“Can she pick up a pencil?” Raven asked.  “Maybe she could write things down.”

“No,” Clarke answered even though she really didn’t know whether or not Lexa could communicate through writing.

“We could get her a whiteboard,” Raven continued.  “Then she could just erase it and keep going.”

“While I can hold a pencil, it would take too much concentration to be able to effectively communicate by writing,” Lexa said.  “At most, I maybe be able to write a few words before I would have to stop.”

“She says it would be too hard,” Clarke told Raven.

“She says it would be or you say?” Raven asked.

“She does,” Clarke said.  “She said she would only be able to write a word or two before she would have to rest.  It would be difficult for her to concentrate long enough for it to really work.”

“Fine,” Raven replied.  “But since she won’t, can I ask her some shit?”

“Yes,” Clarke answered when Lexa nodded.

“Hold that thought,” Raven said when there was a knock on their door.

“I’m afraid to know what your friend is going to ask,” Lexa commented as Raven walked toward the door.

“That makes two of us,” Clarke replied.  “It’s no telling with Raven.  You should probably escape while you have the chance.”

“Luckily, I can escape anytime I want,” Lexa said.  “It’s one of the advantages of being able to pass through walls.”

“Hey, guys,” Bellamy said with a nod when Raven opened the door.  “I’m looking for Octavia.  Is she here?”

“No, but she usually comes back from class around now,” Raven answered, opening the door wider.  “Wanna wait?”

“Yeah, sure,” Bellamy replied.  “Thanks.  What are you two up to?”

“I was just going to ask—Clarke a question,” Raven said.

“Oh yeah?” Bellamy replied, looking toward Clarke.

“Yeah, I was just going to ask her if her new friend, Lexa, was cute,” Raven said, barely containing her smirk.

Clarke rolled her eyes.  “You’ve seen her picture, Raven.”

“That didn’t answer my question,” Raven replied.  “I’m trying to get an accurate mental imagine of what she looks like.” Raven lowered her voice. “So it won’t be so weird when I’m talking to air.”

“I don’t think her looks have changed very much considering,” Clarke answered.

“Fine, since you won’t answer my question, maybe I should ask her if she thinks you’re cute.” Raven replied.

“Ignore her,” Clarke said, glancing at Bellamy but really talking to Lexa.  “She likes to embarrass me.”

“Why would you be embarrassed?” Raven asked.  “You’ve been single since finally dumping Finn, and I think we all agree that it’s time you start dating again.  Wouldn’t you say, Bell?”

“I don’t know what this has to do with Lexa,” Clarke replied.

“Yes, what does this have to do with me?” Lexa asked

Raven shrugged.  “Maybe she knows someone else who’s single.  And if she thinks you’re cute, she can tell all her friends just how hot she thinks you are.”

“You know, I think I’ll wait in the hall for my sister,” Bellamy said, pointing his thumb over his shoulder.

Raven watched as Bellamy left the room and the moment the door was closed behind him, she said, “That was fun.  I wonder when _he’s_ finally going to ask you out.”

“Hopefully never,” Clarke replied as she stood up.  “It would be like my brother asking me out.”

“Gross,” Raven said.

“Exactly,” Clarke replied.

* * *

 

“Who are you waving at?” Monty asked, furrowing his brows.

“Just a girl I know,” Clarke answered.  “I don’t think she saw me, though.”

Monty nodded.  “Oh, well, if you want to go over and say hi, I can walk back to the dorm by myself.”

“Are you sure?” Clarke asked.

“I think I know the way,” Monty joked with a smile.  “I’ll see you later, right?  Octavia said something about all of us going to dinner tonight.”

“I’ll be there,” Clarke said with a nod.

“Good,” Monty replied.  “I feel like we haven’t seen a lot of you in the past few weeks, and it’ll be good to catch up.” Monty gave her a wave.  “I’ll see you later.”

“I didn’t mean to run your friend off.”

Clarke waved at Monty and then turned to Lexa when he was no longer looking at her.  “It’s fine; we ran into each other after class, so we were just walking back to the dorm together.”

“How was your class?” Lexa asked.  “You said you were having a quiz today, right?”

“Class was fine,” Clarke said as she and Lexa slowly began walking.  “As was the quiz.”

“I’m glad,” Lexa replied.  “I would hate to think I’ve put you behind in your classes.”

“I was a little behind, but I think I’ve finally caught up with most of them,” Clarke said, running her hand through her hair.  “Tomorrow evening I’m going to have to spend half the night in the art building, though.  I have a couple pieces due next week and I haven’t touched them since—”

“Since you met me?” Lexa asked.

“Yeah,” Clarke admitted. 

“I’m sorry,” Lexa replied.  “It wasn’t my intention.”

Clarke shook her head.  “It’s not your fault.  I just hadn’t really felt up to going over and working on them.  Actually, I haven’t really felt like it for most of the year.  I always used to put some music on, clear my mind, and just paint, but it’s been a lot harder lately.  It’s not as easy to just forget about everything.”

“Since your father died?” Lexa asked.

Clarke nodded.  “My mom suggested I take the semester off, but I thought that would make everything even worse.  Plus, I knew he wouldn’t want me to do that because of him.   It’s why I’m only taking one painting class this semester, though.  I didn’t know if I would be able to keep up if I took more since I haven’t been feeling very creative.”

“I’m sorry to hear that, Clarke,” Lexa replied.  “From everything you’ve told me about your father, though, I’m sure he would have been proud of you whether you took some time off or not.  He sounds like the type of father anyone would be lucky to have.”

Clarke couldn’t help but smile.  “You know, I think he would have liked you.  He would have told you some of his terrible jokes and then he would have asked how he could help.”

“That sounds familiar,” Lexa replied.

“Hey—I don’t tell terrible jokes,” Clarke said.

“If you say so, Clarke,” Lexa replied.  “But that ghost pun you told me a few days ago would suggest otherwise.”

“I was just trying to make you laugh,” Clarke said.  “And you did, so you couldn’t think it was that terrible.”

“I laughed because it _was_ terrible,” Lexa remarked.

“You know, I was sitting in class today and I couldn’t help thinking about what it’ll be like if everything goes well and you’re able to move on,” Clarke said, putting her hands in her coat pocket.  “I’ve gotten kind of used to having you around.  And, you know, having someone laugh at my terrible jokes.”

“I may not be going anywhere, Clarke,” Lexa replied.  “There’s no guarantee anything will happen even if you do solve my murder.  It’s possible that I will be here forever.”

“It’s not like I want that for you, either,” Clarke said.  “Even if I will miss you.”

Lexa gave her a small smile.  “Truthfully, I don’t know if I’m really ready to go right now.  A few weeks ago I would have said I was more than ready, but now I’m not so sure.”

“A few weeks ago?” Clarke asked.

Lexa have a curt nod.  “Yes.”

Clarke smiled.  “Well, nothing says we have to figure things out right now.  We can always wait until you’re sure you’re ready.  Okay?”

“Okay, Clarke,” Lexa said.

* * *

 

“Clarke! I wasn’t expecting you.”

“Yeah, I just thought I would drop by,” Clarke said, giving her mom a hug as she walked into the house.

“I’m surprised,” Abby replied.  “I can’t remember the last time you just dropped by.  Which leads me to believe you’re here for a reason.  Plus I can see it in your eyes.  You always get that look in your eyes when you want to ask me something but you’re afraid of what my answer is going to be.  It was the same look you had when you were fifteen and asked if you could get a tattoo.”

“Thank you for not letting me get that, by the way,” Clarke said.

Abby laughed and motioned toward the living room.  “I noticed your friend isn’t with you today.”

“Lexa?” Clarke said.  “No, she said she intruded enough the last time.”

Normally, Clarke would have told her it was fine, but she actually preferred to talk to her mom alone this time.  It wasn’t that she didn’t want Lexa around, but she didn’t know what Abby was going to have to say, and she really didn’t want to bring it up to Lexa until she knew what her mom had to say.

“So, what are you here to ask me?” Abby inquired as she sat down on the leather loveseat.  “Actually, no,” Abby held up her hand, “first you’re going to tell me whether or not everything is okay.  Are you being careful?”

“Yes, I’m being careful,” Clarke answered.  “I haven’t really talked to anyone about the murder aside from Lexa’s foster sister, who I told you I was going to see last weekend.  And Lexa trusts her, so I trust her.  Even if I wanted to talk to someone, I’ve kind of hit a wall on this whole investigation.  I figure it’s best if I don’t talk to the cops because I really don’t think I would be able to explain why I’m asking about a twenty year old murder.  But that’s sort of why I’m here.  I was wondering if there’s another option for helping Lexa.”

“What do you mean?” Abby asked.

“I mean—is there something you can do to help her,” Clarke replied.  “Not just to solve her murder, but to possibly bring her back.”

“You’re asking if I could bring her back to life?” Abby asked.

Clarke nodded.  She didn’t exactly know the extent of her mother’s powers, but she did know she was pretty powerful.  She had seen with her own eyes a few of the things Abby could do—moving objects without touching them, changing the way an object looked—but those things had been relatively minor.  Clarke had a feeling it was just the tip of the iceberg, though, and she was there to figure out just how powerful a witch her mom was.

“It would be difficult,” Abby said.

“But not impossible?” Clarke replied.

“It would take far more power than I have,” Abby said.  “Bringing someone back to life is not something I have ever attempted.  Although, I will admit it did cross my mind before.”  Abby gave a light sigh.  “After Jake—I did look into what it would take to bring someone back.  But I stopped because I knew it wasn’t something he would have wanted.  I know because it was something we discussed long ago.  He believed that when it was his time, it was his time.  He didn’t want anyone messing with that just like I wouldn’t want it happening with me.”

“So, you don’t think it’s something people should do?” Clarke asked.

“Not usually,” Abby replied.  “But this situation is unique.  Lexa didn’t just die; her spirit is stuck here on Earth.  Contrary to some people’s belief, there aren’t a lot of ghosts around.  It’s not natural for the spirit to linger like hers is.  Which is why I’ll contact the others from the coven.  I don’t want you to get your hopes up, though; there’s no guarantee they will say yes or that it will work even if we perform the ritual.”

Clarke stood from the couch and walked over, leaning down to hug her mom.  “Thank you.”

“You really like her, don’t you?” Abby said.

Clarke gave her a sad smile.  “I—” Clarke shrugged and shook her head.  “How can I?  I met her less than two weeks ago.”

“I think sometimes you just know,” Abby replied, reaching out, and taking her daughter’s hand.  “I knew with your father.  I had known him less than a day when I told myself he was the one I was going to marry.  Some people just have this special connection to each other.  They may have just met, but it already feels like they’ve known each other their whole lives.”

Clarke gave her a sad smile.  “I just hope this connection isn’t over before it’s really begun.”


	7. Chapter 7

“Wow,” Raven said, slumping back in her chair.  “I don’t know which I’m more surprised about—the fact that your parents are witches or that you’re actually going to try to bring Lexa back from the dead.” Raven shook her head.  “Does she know?”

“Lexa?” Clarke asked, and Raven nodded.  “Not yet.  I figured it would be best to tell her after I know whether it’s really possible or not.  I don’t want to get her hopes up.  If my mom says they can do it, though, then it will be Lexa’s choice.  I wouldn’t try to do something like that without her permission.”

“What do you think she’ll do?” Raven asked.

“I don’t know,” Clarke answered.  “She did tell me a few days ago that she doesn’t know if she’s ready to move on now, but that doesn’t necessarily mean she would want this.  There’s no guarantee it would work; my mom told me there have been cases where the ghost just vanishes.”

“Maybe it could wait until she’s ready to go,” Raven suggested.  “Then, if she vanishes, no harm, no foul, right?”

“Maybe,” Clarke replied.

Clarke sighed as she laid back on her bed.  She had been thinking about everything her mom had said for the past day as she waited for her to call with some news.  Now that she knew that it actually was possible to bring someone back, she just needed to know whether or not the coven was willing to try.

“Okay, so, can we get back to the part where your parents are witches?” Raven said after a few minutes.  “Because I’ve known your family most of my life, and I’m having a little trouble here.”

“But you had no trouble believing there was a ghost?” Clarke asked.

“This is different,” Raven argued.  “This is Abby and Jake Griffin we’re talking about.  I thought they were just a normal, slightly boring couple.”

“That makes two of us,” Clarke replied.

“You really had no idea?” Raven asked.

Clarke shook her head.  “My mom said they agreed to never use their powers around me.  They thought it would best if I just had a normal childhood.  After what happened when Lexa died, they didn’t want to give people a reason to talk.  She said they were planning on telling me now that I’m older, but they kept putting it off.  And then my dad died.”

“That’s so crazy,” Raven replied.  “It makes me wonder what the hell else is out there.  I mean, what’s next?  Vampires? Werewolves?”

“Unlikely,” Clarke said.  “My mom explained it to me.  She was telling me how ghosts and witches both exist because of the energy in the universe or—something like that.  I didn’t quite understand everything she was talking about, especially whenever she started into the science behind it.”

Raven hummed.  “Maybe I should stop by casa del Griffin and have her explain it to me.  I could do some research into it—like, is it something you learn or is it something you inherit.  Both of your parents could do magic, so does that mean it’s something _you_ can also do?”

It was a question Clarke had asked as well, but her mom hadn’t really had an answer for her.  Neither of them had ever noticed Clarke exhibit any signs of having powers, but Abby told her it was probably in there somewhere.  Just like her ability to see ghosts had been even if she had never seen one prior to Lexa.

“Possibly,” Clarke said.  “She told me the ability to manipulate energy almost always passes on.”

“Okay, so, what exactly would that entail?” Raven asked, leaning forward in her chair, her arms resting on her knees.  “You said you found out when you saw her stirring her coffee with her mind.  I’m going to assume she can do more than that.”

“She can change the appearance of things,” Clarke said, holding up her hand.  “Like my nail polish.  She can move things around, start fires—”

“Mmm pyrokinesis; that could be handy,” Raven replied.

“Crap,” Clarke said, noticing the clock on the wall.  “I need to leave right now or I’m going to be late for class.”

“You could always skip,” Raven replied.

Clarke rolled her eyes as she stood up.  “Does that mean you’re going to skip, too.”

“And miss kicking Wick’s ass at another quiz?” Raven said.  “Never.”

“I’ll see you later,” Clarke said, grabbing her bag, and throwing it over her shoulder.

“Don’t think I’m done asking questions,” Raven called after her as Clarke began walking toward the door.

“I know better than to think that with you,” Clarke said, throwing a smile over her shoulder before walking out of the room and closing the door behind her.

* * *

 

“Hey, what ar—” Clarke shut her mouth when she realized she was surrounded by other people and talking to someone none of them could see.

It was something she had been caring less and less about, talking openly to Lexa despite who else was around, but her class had just let out.  She was in the middle of a bunch of people she saw on a regular basis and would continue to see since many of them had the same major as Clarke did.  She really didn’t want to become known as the crazy girl who talked to herself, so she stood there for a few moments and waited for everyone to disperse.

“Sorry,” Clarke said once the hallway was mostly clear.

“It’s fine, Clarke,” Lexa replied.  “It’s understandable that you’re being cautious.  If your mom believes you could be in danger for asking about me then there is probably a good reason for it.  And as I’ve said before, the last thing I want is to put you in danger.”

“Because you don’t want to risk being stuck with me for all eternity,” Clarke stated, giving Lexa a smile.  “I remember.”

“Maybe I spoke a little too quickly,” Lexa replied.  “You’ve surprised me, Clarke.  From what I had observed, I thought you would be the type of girl I would never have been friends with when I was alive, but I was wrong.”

“And what type is that?” Clarke asked.

“Loud and the type who likes to party,” Lexa replied.  “Sort of like how your friends can be.  I saw you with them a few months ago.  You came back with Octavia and Raven and you were all drunk.  You were stumbling around and the other two practically had to carry you.”

“Are you talking about in August, at the beginning of the semester?” Clarke asked.

Lexa nodded.  “It was just after everyone had moved in.”

“We were celebrating,” Clarke replied, knowing exactly the time Lexa was talking about.  “I had just caught Finn flirting with some girl yet again, and I finally dumped him.  Octavia and Raven were both so happy and they insisted on taking me out for drinks.  Clearly I had a few too many.  I don’t even remember them trying to get me home.”

“You know, for a moment that evening, I thought you saw me,” Lexa said.  “You locked eyes with me, but then you stumbled and that was that.”

“Maybe I did,” Clarke replied.  “You should have walked into my room the next day.  If you’d scared the shit out of me, you would have known I could see you.”

Lexa smiled and then looked down.  “The thought crossed my mind.  I think part of me was afraid to.  I hadn’t spoken to anyone in twenty years, and I didn’t know what to say.  When it happened again in the hallway, I knew it couldn’t be a coincidence.  Even then, I just assumed I appeared like an apparition.  I never thought you would speak to me like I was any other person.”

“Well, I’m glad I did,” Clarke replied.  “If you were anyone else, I don’t know if I would have noticed you.  You’re lucky you’re cute.”

Clarke noticed a frown appear on Lexa’s face, and when she looked over her shoulder, following Lexa’s gaze, she saw her professor standing in the hallway.

“What is it?” Clarke asked, looking back to Lexa.

“I don’t know,” Lexa replied.  “That woman looks familiar.  I feel like maybe I knew her from before.”

“ _Before_ before?” Clarke mumbled.

Lexa nodded.  “Yes, from when I was alive.”

“Are you sure?” Clarke whispered.

“I—” Lexa shook her head.  “I don’t know.  I just have this sense that I know her from somewhere.  So many things from my life are still fuzzy, but I feel like a lot of those things are becoming more clear.  I can’t place her, though.” Lexa shrugged.  “Maybe I went to school with her or we lived in the same building.” Lexa shook her head again as if she was trying to clear her thoughts away.  “Anyway, am I keeping you from somewhere you need to be?”

“Not really,” Clarke said as she slowly began walking down the hall.  “I was just going to go get a book from the library that I need to read for class, but it doesn’t close for hours.”

“Do you mind if I accompany you there?” Lexa asked.

“Do you really have to ask?” Clarke asked back.

As they reached the end of the hallway, Clarke looked over her shoulder once again.  This time, though, Dr, Ellison was staring back at her, so Clarke waved at her, hoping she hadn’t noticed her seemingly carrying on a conversation with herself.  The last thing she needed was her professor thinking she’d lost her mind.

* * *

 

“You look cold,” Lexa said, looking over at Clarke as she walked down the sidewalk.

“It’s gotten a little chilly,” Clarke said as she zipped her coat up higher.

“I overheard someone say it may snow next week,” Lexa commented, glancing up at the sky.  “I can’t confirm how accurate that is, however.  I can no longer seem to find a newspaper on campus; not since everyone began using computers and those oversized phones.”

“I hope it’s not going to snow,” Clarke replied.  “I’m not ready for it to be _that_ cold.”

“Are you not a fan of the snow?” Lexa asked.

Clarke shrugged.  “I guess I like it when I don’t have to get out in it.  When I can just sit at home, in front of a fire, and relax.  Not when I have to walk across campus and worry about falling on my ass.”

“Does that happen often?” Lexa asked.

“Twice last winter,” Clarke replied.  “Raven wouldn’t stop making fun of me.  That is until she did the same thing and took down Jasper with her.  Unfortunately, I couldn’t even mock her because she sprained her wrist and I felt too bad.”

“And you didn’t mock her at all?” Lexa asked.

Clarke smiled.  “Maybe a little.  In my defense, it was a spectacular fall.”

Lexa smiled.  “You’re lucky, you know?  To have friends like you do.  I didn’t have friends like yours when I was here.  I mean, I had a few, but we weren’t as close as you are with yours.”

“Yeah, they’re okay,” Clarke said, smiling back as she opened the door and walked through, holding it open for Lexa.

“You know that’s not necessary,” Lexa commented as she walked through the open door.

“I know,” Clarke said.  “I just forget sometimes.  And even if I hadn’t, it would be rude to close it in your face.”

“It’s not like it would hurt, Clarke,” Lexa replied as they began ascending the stairs.

“I’m aware, but I wouldn’t shut it in front of any of my other friends’ faces, so I’m not going to shut it in yours,” Clarke said.

“Is that what we are?” Lexa asked.  “Friends?”

“We’re—I don’t know if there’s a word for us,” Clarke replied.

Clarke really didn’t know how to describe her relationship with Lexa, and she didn’t know if she would ever be able to.  They were friends, but she felt like they were more than that.  If they had met under different circumstances, Clarke had no doubt she would have asked Lexa out upon meeting her, but with the way things were, it wasn’t really a possibility.  They both had too much on their minds, and she didn’t even know how long Lexa would be around.  While she knew the best thing was to not get too attached, that had flown out the window the moment she started spending time with Lexa, and there wasn’t much she could do about it now.

“Shit,” Clarke said with a sigh when they reached the third floor and she heard her friends’ laughter coming from her room.  “It’s Friday.”

“What’s wrong?” Lexa asked.

“Everyone’s in there,” Clarke said, motioning toward the door.  “Every Friday in October, we watch a scary movie.  That’s why we had the movie night last weekend and the one before that.  And I forgot about it.  Again.  I told Raven I’d be back in time to start it tonight, but I got a little distracted.”

“I suppose that was my fault,” Lexa remarked.

“Do you want to come in?” Clarke asked.  “I have no idea what they’re watching.  Jasper bugged Raven until she agreed to let him pick the movie, so it could be terrible.”

“I think I’ll pass,” Lexa replied.

Clarke nodded and approached her door, putting her hand on the doorknob.  “Will I see you tomorrow?”

“I imagine so,” Lexa answered as Clarke opened the door.

“Eww, be glad you’re leaving,” Clarke mumbled over her shoulder to Lexa when she walked in and noticed what movie Jasper had chosen.

“Why do you—”

Lexa trailed off and Clarke looked over her shoulder again.  Lexa was staring at the screen with her mouth still slightly open and her brows furrowed.

“What’s wrong?” Clarke asked.

“You’re late is what’s wrong,” Jasper answered.  “Where’ve you been so much lately?”

Clarke locked eyes with Raven for a moment and when she looked back, Lexa was gone.  Clarke glanced at Raven again, hoping to silently communicate with her, and then she turned and left the room.

“Lexa, wait!” Clarke called after her, but she disappeared through the door to the stairwell and Clarke had to run to try to catch up to her.

Rather than going down, Lexa went straight up through the ceiling, and Clarke ran up the stairs.  She stopped on the fourth floor, but didn’t see Lexa in the hallway, so she continued going up the steps to the roof.  There, she found Lexa standing in the middle of the roof, her back toward Clarke, who could see by her rigid stance that something was very wrong.

“Lexa, what’s wrong?” Clarke asked, walking forward.

“I began getting flashes of the night I died,” Lexa said.  “It happened up here.  I’m remembering everything.”

Clarke stopped in her tracks just a few feet behind Lexa.  “Everything? Does that mean you saw who killed you?”

“Yes, I’m just _dying_ to know the answer to that question,” Clarke heard a voice say behind her.

* * *

 

Clarke froze at the sound of the voice; Lexa, on the other hand, quickly turned around, her eyes landing on the person behind Clarke before slowly looking over to the blonde.

“Clarke—”

Lexa fell to her knees and Clarke instinctively reached out for her, but her hand just went through Lexa’s arm.

“It’s her,” Lexa said when Clarke looked over her shoulder.

“What’s her?” Clarke asked as she locked eyes with her art history professor.

“It’s Alison,” Lexa stated.

“What?” Clarke whispered, looking at Lexa.  “Who is?  Are you saying Alison killed you?”

Lexa nodded.  “And she’s standing right behind you.”

Clarke could see the fear in Lexa’s eyes as the words left her mouth.  She knew the fear wasn’t for Lexa herself, but for Clarke.  She had warned her that it could be dangerous to look into her death, and now Clarke was exactly in the type of position Lexa had feared.

“Dr. Ellison,” Clarke said, standing up, and facing the woman.  “What are you doing here?”

“Let’s not pretend that you don’t know exactly why I’m here, Clarke,” Dr. Ellison replied.  “I assume she told you who I am.”

“Alison Easton,” Clarke stated.

“Very good.  I wondered why you would be doing research into an old murder, but then I kept seeing you talking to yourself around campus,” Dr. Ellison said.  “But you weren’t talking to yourself.  You were talking to Lexa.  I knew it as soon as I overheard you speaking to her.” The older woman took a few steps forward and Clarke resisted the urge to back away.  “I’d heard rumors of Polis Hall being haunted over the years, but I always thought it was people’s imaginations running wild until you, the daughter of two of the covens members blamed for our murders, came along.  And then, for the first time, I started to wonder if it could be true.

“I happened to see you in the library one day about two weeks ago.  When I saw you talking to nothing, I thought you’d lost it.  But then I saw you a few days later, and I noticed what you were reading.  You really should have been more careful.”

Clarke looked down as Dr. Ellison—Alison—removed her hand from her pocket, revealing a handgun.

“Keep her talking, Clarke,” Lexa said from behind her.  “I’m going to try to get help.”

“I don’t understand,” Clarke said as Lexa disappeared through the floor.  “Why would you kill her?

“She didn’t tell you?” Alison asked.

“She doesn’t remember,” Clarke said, though she had no idea whether it was the truth or not.

“Why?  Because I was tired of the constant comparisons,” Alison stated.  “Why couldn’t I get perfect grades like Lexa?  Why couldn’t I keep my side of the room spotless like Lexa?  All I ever heard about was how pretty and smart and perfect she was.  I had only lived with her for a few months and I already couldn’t stand her.  And then my boyfriend dumped me, and do you know why?  Lexa.  He was too stupid to realize she was never going to date him, but he still dumped me and I snapped.”

“So, you killed her because you were jealous?” Clarke said, her anger rising.

“I was never jealous,” Alison replied.

Clarke wanted to argue, but she did have a gun pointed at her, so she decided to ask, “How did you fake your death.”

“That part was easy,” Alison answered.  “When you’re the illegitimate child of the sheriff whose whole campaign is based on family values, it’s easy to blackmail him.  Which is exactly what my mom and stepfather did.  And then they hired someone to make it look like her death had taken place in the room, clean up the real crime scene, and move body.  They put enough of my blood in our room to make it look like I had been stabbed just like her, but of course my body was never found.”

“I’m sorry, Clarke,” Lexa said, walking through the door just behind Alison.  “I tried to just get your friend to call 911, but I couldn’t stop her.”

“What are you—”

Clarke heard the sounds of someone trying to get through the door, but apparently the other woman had locked it behind her.

“Don’t you dare touch her!” she heard Bellamy yell, following by even louder banging on the door.

“Lexa—always ruining things,” Alison said with a sigh.

Everything that happened next was like a blur to Clarke.  She saw Alison raise the gun a little higher and could still hear her friends’ trying to get through the door.  She closed her eyes just before the gunshot sounded, and she waited for the pain to register but it never did.  Slowly, she opened her eyes again to find Lexa standing between her and Alison.

“What the—”

Alison’s eyes grew wide as Lexa grabbed her and ran toward the edge of the building, pulling Alison along with her until they both disappeared over the edge.

* * *

 

“And she just told you all of this?”

Clarke looked up at the police officer standing in front of her and nodded.

“She just decided to confess everything because—why?” he asked.

“Because she was clearly psychotic,” Raven answered for Clarke, crossing her arms over her chest.

The three looked over as the ambulance turned on its siren and pulled away.  She knew Alison was inside, clinging to life, and Clarke couldn’t help wondering what was going to become of her.

“Alright,” the officer said.  “I’m going to need you to come down to the station tomorrow.  “We’re going to have to ask you a few more questions, but it’s been a long night and I’m sure you need your rest.  Ask for Officer Sawyer.”

Clarke nodded as he handed her a card, and he walked away, looking over his shoulder for a moment as he went.  Once he was finally out of earshot, Clarke let out a long sigh and rested her head against Raven’s shoulder.

“Is this night ever going to end?” Clarke asked.

“Okay, are you going to tell me what the hell happened up there?” Bellamy said as he and Octavia walked over to them.  “We just lied to the police about how we knew to go up to the roof and I want to know why.”

“I didn’t think it would be the best idea if we told the cops we went up there because the ghost told us to,” Raven said with a shrug when Clarke looked at her.

“The what?” Bellamy asked.

“Seriously?” Octavia asked.  “Are you telling me that’s what that was?”

“Yeah, she’s Clarke’s girlfriend now,” Raven replied.

Clarke rolled her eyes.  “Lexa is not my girlfriend.”  Clarke shook her head before looking across the parking lot.  “Why don’t you fill them in?  I have someone to talk to.”

Clarke didn’t wait for her friends’ response before she began weaving her way through the emergency personnel, cops, and bystanders.

“You know, when you disappeared over the roof, I was afraid I would never see you again,” Clarke said as she stopped just in front of Lexa.

“I guess that is one benefit to already being dead,” Lexa replied.  “You’re not going to be rid of me that easily.”

Clarke hummed.  “I guess finding your murderer isn’t what’s going to cause you to move on.”

“It would seem not,” Lexa agreed.

“I really thought it would,” Clarke said.  “I wonder why it didn’t.”

“I don’t know, but maybe it has to do with you being the only person in twenty years who’s been able to see me,” Lexa replied.

Clarke smiled.  “You know, if I could kiss you for saving my life, I would.  I guess I’ll just have to settle for thanking you.”

Clarke looked down, and a moment later, she felt Lexa’s lips on her cheek.  It was cold and gone as quickly as it came, leaving a tingling feeling on Clarke’s cheek.

“I should be the one thanking you, Clarke,” Lexa replied.  “This never would have happened if you weren’t trying to help me.”

“Oh no.  My mom’s here,” Clarke said when she noticed her mom rushing toward her.

“She’s probably worried about you,” Lexa replied.  “I’ll let you two talk.”

“How could you not call me!” Abby said as she approached her daughter.

“I’m fine, mom,” Clarke replied.

“That’s no excuse,” Abby said, taking Clarke’s head in her hands, and looking her over.  “I had to hear it from Jackson.”

Clarke sighed.  “I’m sorry.”

“I told you to be careful,” Abby said.

“I was,” Clarke replied.  “I just didn’t know my professor was going to turn out to be the person who killed Lexa.  She was Alison; she faked her death.”

“Okay, you’re coming home tonight and you’re going to explain everything to me,” Abby said as she finally let Clarke go.  “But first, we need to talk about something kind of pressing.  I was going to call you about it as soon as I was out of surgery, but then Jackson told me what happened, and I rushed right over here.”

“Is it about Lexa?” Clarke asked.

Abby nodded. “I talked to the others, and they agreed to help.”

“But?” Clarke said, knowing it was coming.

“But she only has a few days to decide,” Abby replied.  “It needs to happen on Halloween Day, after dusk but before midnight.”

Clarke looked over at Lexa and then back to her mom.  “I need to tell her.”

“I’ll leave you to it,” Abby replied.  “Make sure you come by whenever you’re done.”

“You should probably expect Raven as well,” Clarke said, knowing her friend wouldn’t let her go alone.

“That’s fine as long as you’re home,” Abby replied.

Abby hugged Clarke and started walking away, but Clarke stopped her by asking, “Do you really think you can do it?”

“I guess we’ll have to wait and see,” Abby replied.

Clarke took a deep breath as her mom walked away, and then turned to walk over to Lexa.

“Your mom didn’t stay long,” Lexa commented.

“I promised I’d come by after,” Clarke said, leaning against the wall Lexa was sitting on.

“After?” Lexa asked.

“After we talk,” Clarke said.  “Yesterday, when I went to see my mom, I asked her if she thought it would be possible to bring a person back to life.  Permanently.”

“You mean—”

“I mean I wanted to know if they could help you,” Clarke said.  “I wanted to know if it was possible for them to bring you back.  If you could be alive again.  And they’ve agreed to try if you want to do it.  It isn’t a guarantee, though; not only may it not work, but you could disappear completely.” Clarke paused for a moment as she tried to gauge Lexa’s reaction.  “It’s completely your choice, Lexa.”

“How long do I have to think about it?” Lexa asked.

“Until Monday.” Clarke replied.  “My mom said it has to happen on Halloween.  So, will you think about it?”

Lexa looked at her and then nodded after a few seconds.  “Yes, Clarke.  I’ll think about.”


	8. Chapter 8

“There you are,” Jasper said when Raven opened the door.  “I’ve been knocking all day.”

“We just wanted to stop by and make sure Clarke was okay,” Monty said, nudging his friend out of the way.  “We heard what happened and Octavia filled us in a little, but then she made us leave the room last night before you came back.”

“I’m fine,” Clarke replied.  “It’s just been a long twenty-four hours.”

“I can understand that,” Monty said.

“So, how’d you guys know to go up there?” Jasper asked, walking into the room, and sitting down on Raven’s bed.  “You all just rushed out of here without saying anything.  We didn’t know what the hell was going on.”

“Jas,” Monty said, giving his friend a look.

“What?” Jasper asked.

“We’ll get out of your hair,” Monty said to Clarke.  “If you need anything, let us know, okay?”

Clarke nodded.  “Thank you.”

Jasper grumbled as he stood up, and Raven shut the door behind him with a shake of her head.  “That boy is lucky he has Monty around.”

“I know,” Clarke agreed.  “One of these days—”

Clarke paused when Lexa walked through the wall, barely missing walking straight through Raven, who quickly moved her arm.

“She’s here, isn’t she?” Raven said, looking at exactly where Lexa was standing.

“I apologize,” Lexa said even though Raven couldn’t hear her.  “Can we talk, Clarke?”

“Yes, she’s here,” Clarke replied before looking at Lexa again.  “And, yes, we can talk.”

“I guess that’s my cue to leave you two alone,” Raven said, grabbing her bag.  “I’ll be in the library.  Make sure you put a sock on the door if I should stay gone longer.”

Clarke rolled her eyes.  “Goodbye, Raven.”

“Your friend can be very strange,” Lexa remarked as Raven opened the door and left the room.

Clarke hummed in agreement.  “What did you want to talk about?”

Lexa clasped her hands behind her back and began pacing around the room.  “I’d like to discuss your mother’s offer.  I want to know what you would do if you were in my place.”

“What I would do?” Clarke asked.

Lexa nodded.  “I’ve been thinking about it all night.  The offer is tempting.  I just don’t know if I want to risk vanishing if it was unsuccessful.  A few weeks ago, I wouldn’t have thought twice about it, but now things are different.  For the first time in a very long time, I’m enjoying being here.  I feel like my old self again and I don’t know if I’m ready to move on.  But if it works, if I could become human again—” Lexa shook her head.

“Truthfully, I don’t know what I would do,” Clarke softly said.  “I—” Clarke sighed and then gave Lexa a small smile.  “If you haven’t noticed by now, I like you.  And if the roles were reversed, I wouldn’t want to leave you, but I also don’t know if I could pass up the chance to be alive once again.”  Clarke sighed.  “I know it’s not an easy choice.  So I guess you have to figure out what’s better.  Living forever like this or maybe getting a second chance at life with the possibility that you’ll be gone forever.  I can’t really tell you which I would choose.  I would probably end up going with whatever my heart was telling me to do.”

“What if your heart and your head were telling you two different things?” Lexa asked.

“Which would you usually listen to?” Clarke asked back.

“My head,” Lexa answered.

“Then you should probably go with your head,” Clarke replied.

She had no idea what Lexa would decide to do, but she did know she couldn’t stand the idea of losing Lexa.  She had known her for such a short time, but her mom was right when she said some people have a special connection.  That’s how she felt with Lexa.  Like she had somehow known Lexa her whole life despite the fact that they had just met.  In the beginning she had been determined to help Lexa move on, but now she didn’t know what she would do if that actually happened.

* * *

 

“Is it safe?” Raven yelled from the other side of the door.

Clarke rolled her eyes.  “No.”

“That’s what I thought,” Raven replied, and a few moments later, Clarke heard her roommate’s key jingle.

“And what if I’d meant it?” Clarke asked when Raven opened the door and walked into the room.

Raven let out a light snort.  “I’d believe it more if you could actually touch your girlfriend.”

“She’s not—”

“Your girlfriend,” Raven finished for her.  “Yeah, yeah.  Has your not-girlfriend decided what she’s going to do?”

“She has, actually,” Clarke said with a sigh.

“That doesn’t sound good,” Raven replied, sitting down on the edge of her bed.  “What’s she going to do?”

“She’s decided she wants to try it,” Clarke said.  “She wants them to try to bring her back to life.  I called my mom and told her.  They’re preparing everything; she said they’ll be ready by Monday night.”

“Shouldn’t you be happier?” Raven asked.

“I’ll be happy if it works,” Clarke replied.  “Until then, I’m going to be terrified about what will happen if it doesn’t.”

“What made her decide to do it?” Raven asked.

“She decided to go with her head,” Clarke answered.  “She said if she hadn’t met me, she wouldn’t have hesitated, so that’s what she’s going to do.  Even though I know she’s afraid.  Because she doesn’t want to go now.  She told me she would rather stay here as a ghost than to move on now.”

“But she’s going to risk it anyway?” Raven said.

Clarke nodded.  “There’s a fifty-fifty chance Lexa is going to be gone forever.  I had to tell her, though.  I had to give her the option once I found out it was possible.  If she does move on, I’ll be happy she’ll be at peace, but—I just don’t want to lose her.  I’m not ready.”

“Maybe there’s something I can do,” Raven said.

“What could you possibly do?” Clarke asked.

“Well, while you’ve been busy almost being murdered, I’ve been doing a lot of research on ghosts,” Raven stated.  “A lot of it’s shit, but there are some researchers who I think are actually legit that have done all this research on energy and why some spirits stay and other don’t.” Raven shrugged.  “If you want, I can talk to your mom and we can see if there’s anything we can do to increase the odds that it’ll work.”

Clarke stared at Raven for a moment before silently walking over to her and wrapping her arms around her friend.

“Okay, don’t get all sappy on me, Griffin,” Raven said, though she put her arms around Clarke and hugged her back.

“Thank you,” Clarke finally said when she pulled away.

“Is your mom home today?” Raven asked.

“Yes,” Clarke replied.  “She said she needed to prepare.”

“I’ll grab my stuff and head over there, then,” Raven said.  “Are you going to come?”

Clarke shook her head.  “Lexa is waiting on me, actually.  I’m going to spend as much time as I can with her.”

“Does this mean you’re finally admitting that you like her?” Raven asked with a slight smirk as Clarke grabbed her bag.

“I’m not admitting anything,” Clarke replied.

“You don’t have to,” Raven said.  “I can see it all over your face.  You’re obviously in love with her.”

Clarke rolled her eyes as she threw her bag over her shoulder.  “I’ll probably be gone the rest of the day.  My phone will still be on, though, so text me if you and my mom make any progress, okay?”

“And interrupt your date?” Raven said.

“Just text me,” Clarke replied.  “I’ll call my mom and let her know you’re coming over.”

“Have fun with your boo,” Raven said.

“My—” Clarke shook her head.  “Please never call her that again.”

“Oh come on; that was hilarious and you know it,” Raven replied.

“That was terrible,” Clarke said over her shoulder as she opened the door and walked out of the room.

“What was terrible?” Lexa asked when Clarke joined her in the hallway.

“Raven’s joke,” Clarke answered.  “But that’s nothing new.”

“So you two have something in common,” Lexa replied.

“It sounds like you should join the club,” Clarke remarked.

Lexa smiled and ducked her head.  “So, what are you planning on doing today?”

“You’ll just have to wait and see,” Clarke replied.

“Have I mentioned that I don’t like surprises, Clarke?” Lexa said.

“You’ll like this one,” Clarke promised.  “But first I need to call my mom and let her know Raven is going to come over.  She thinks she may be able to help increase the chances that Monday will go the way we want it to, and I’m guessing if anyone can, it’s Raven.”

“I hope so,” Lexa replied.

“So do I,” Clarke said, giving her a sad smile.

* * *

 

Clarke stood back and watched as Lexa slowly walked along the wall, stopping in front of each painting.  She had been a little nervous about bringing Lexa to the student art gallery, but as she watched the other girl observing each painting with great interest, Clarke knew she had made the right decision by bringing her there.

“What do you think?” Clarke finally asked when Lexa stopped at one of the paintings for a particularly long time.

“Whoever painted this is incredibly talented,” Lexa said.

Clarke smiled.  “I painted that, actually.  Near the beginning of last semester, just before my father died.  They chose it for the exhibition at the end of the year.”

“It’s amazing, Clarke,” Lexa said, turning to look at her.  “The night sky looks like a photograph rather than a painting.”

“Thanks,” Clarke replied.  “It’s one of the last things I painted.  After the accident, I couldn’t seem to do anything.  Is there such thing as painter’s block?  Like writer’s block but for artists?”

“So, you haven’t painted anything recently?” Lexa asked as Clarke walked closer to her.

“Not until recently,” Clarke answered.  “I’ve been working on something that I finished a few days ago.  It’s upstairs in the studio.”

Lexa nodded.  “Will you let me see it?”

“I may be able to do that,” Clarke said.

Clarke gave Lexa a smile and began leading her up to the third floor.  As they walked up the stairs, she glanced over her shoulder at Lexa, who was looking back at her.

As they looked at each other, Clarke couldn’t help wondering how spending time with a ghost made her feel more alive than she had in a long time.  She’d never really had that feeling with Finn even though they had dated for a year.  She knew it was more than just being attracted to Lexa.  It was like she had found a part of herself that had been missing.  And maybe she had; maybe she had just been waiting for Lexa to come into her life and she didn’t even know it.

She had never been one to believe in fate.  She didn’t think there was some bigger reason for why her father had died or for why she caught Finn flirting with someone else.  She’d never believed there was some higher power dictating all the good and bad things that happened in her life.  Yet she couldn’t help feeling like there was a reason she had met Lexa.  A reason she had noticed her and tried to stop her from leaving only to have her hand go right through Lexa.

“Keep in mind that I haven’t painted very much in the past nine months,” Clarke said as Lexa followed her into the studio.

Clarke motioned toward the piece she’d been working on and then hung back as Lexa walked over to her painting.  She wasn’t entirely unhappy with the way it had come out, though she was bit rusty and knew it showed.

“Clarke—”

“I know it’s a bit rushed,” Clarke said before Lexa could continue.

Lexa shook her head as Clarke walked up, stopping beside her.  “It’s incredible, Clarke.”

Clarke had been working on the painting for a while, unable to get very far with it.  But after she met Lexa, things had become a little easier, and before she knew it, she’d completed it with a slight addition to the painting.  Instead of simply being a landscape painting, it now had Lexa in the middle of it, sitting on a bench.

“I hope you don’t mind that I painted you in something other than this outfit,” Clarke joked, motioning toward Lexa’s jeans and University of Arkadia sweatshirt.

“What made you paint this?” Lexa asked.

Clarke shrugged.  “I guess I just wanted to be able to show people that you were here.  That you were more than just the pictures in the newspapers.”

“In case I vanish in a few days?” Lexa asked.

Clarke shook her head and said, “I don’t want to think about that.”

Lexa glanced down for a moment and then looked back up at Clarke.  Clarke could see the hesitation in her eyes as Lexa slowly extended her arm and entwined their fingers together, and for a moment Clarke could pretend Lexa was standing there next to her like any other person.  But the moment was soon broken by the sound of Clarke’s phone.

“Sorry,” Clarke said, pulling her phone out of her pocket,  “I told Raven to let me know if she made any progress.”

“Any news?” Lexa asked as Clarke read the text.

Clarke rolled her eyes and pocketed her phone.  “No.  She just wanted to know if I was going to the Halloween party at Lincoln and Bellamy’s frat house tonight.”

“Are you going to?” Lexa asked.

“I normally would, but I’d really rather spend it with you,” Clarke replied.  “You know—just us.  If that’s okay with you.”

“I’d like that as well, Clarke,” Lexa said with a smile.

* * *

 

“Are you ever going to tell me where we are going?” Lexa asked.

Clarke shook her head, a smile making its way across her mouth.  “Nope.”

Lexa sighed.  “Do I need to remind you what I said about not liking surprises?”

“You liked it when I took you to the gallery yesterday,” Clarke pointed out, glancing to the side at Lexa.

“That was an exception,” Lexa replied.

“As this will be,” Clarke remarked.   “And I have a feeling you’re perfectly fine with surprises.  You just don’t like not being in control of things.”

“You’re right,” Lexa replied.  “I’ve had very little control over a lot of things in my life, and I’ve always hated it.  When I was younger, I never had any control over where I was going to be or who I was going to be with.  Growing up in the foster care system, I had very little say when it came to my life.  And for the past twenty years, I haven’t exactly had much control over my situation, either.”

Clarke paused, looking at Lexa for a moment, and then said, “The movies.”

“What?” Lexa asked.

“I’m taking you to a movie,” Clarke answered.  “One at an actual movie theater.  You know—like people do on dates.”

“Is that what this is?” Lexa asked.

Clarke shook her head.  “Actually, I thought we could save that for next weekend.  If you say yes when I ask you.”

Clarke’s heart rate picked up a little as she waited for Lexa to say something.  She thought Lexa must know how she felt by now, but she still didn’t entirely know how Lexa felt.  Clarke had told Lexa she liked her and even before that she had admitted she thought she was attractive.  Lexa, on the other hand, seemed to be letting her actions speak for her, but Clarke wanted to hear her say it.  She wanted to be sure that the feelings she had for Lexa were mutual and that she wasn’t just imagining these things between them.

“What do you think?” Clarke prompted when Lexa didn’t immediately respond.

“I think you should prepare yourself for things not working out the way you want them to tomorrow,” Lexa replied.

“I told you I don’t want to think about that,” Clarke said.  “It’s already been a shitty year, and I want to believe something good is finally going to happen.  I’ve already lost my father; I refuse to lose you, too.”

“Then I think it sounds like a plan,” Lexa said.  “I would like to go on a date with you, Clarke.”

Clarke smiled as she opened the door, allowing Lexa to step into the building first.  “I was hoping you would say that.”

Clarke still had a slight smile on her face as she walked up the counter and purchased her ticket.  After getting her ticket and walking inside, she noticed several people she had classes with staring at her.  For once, she doubted it had anything to do with her appearing to be talking to herself and more to do with what happened on the roof of Polis Hall.

It was already all over campus.  Dr. Ellison was really Alison Easton, who had faked her death twenty years prior after murdering her roommate.  Raven and Octavia had both told her it was all anyone was talking about, and everyone somehow seemed to know Clarke was the one on the rooftop that the professor had tried to shoot after confessing to her crimes.  Thankfully Raven had told her that people were wondering how she hadn’t gotten shot, but everyone seemed to just assume that Dr. Ellison was a terrible shot.

“Are you okay?” Lexa asked.

Clarke nodded as she averted her eyes away from her classmates.  “Yeah.  I just hate feeling like people are staring at me.  I had enough of that after my dad died.” Clarke shook her head.  “At least no one has asked me about it yet.  Other than Jasper.”

“What did you tell him?” Lexa asked.

“I didn’t have to tell him anything; Raven had already told him to fuck off,” Clarke said, cracking a smile.

Lexa smiled.  “While your roommate can be very obnoxious, I think I may actually like her.  Don’t tell her I said that; I’m afraid her ego will get even bigger.”

“Believe me, that’s the last thing any of us wants,” Clarke joked.  “She’s already going to gloat for months if tomorrow’s ritual works.  She’ll think it’s all her.” Clarke shrugged.  “Of course, at that point, I doubt I’ll care.  She can gloat all she wants.  But you should prepare yourself; she’ll never let you forget it for as long as you live.”

“As long as I’m living, I think I can deal with that,” Lexa replied.

* * *

 

“Are you okay, Clarke?”

“I feel like I should be the one asking you that,” Clarke replied.

“You didn’t answer my question,” Lexa commented.

Clarke sighed and looked over at Lexa.  “I’m just nervous.  Among other things.”

Saying she was nervous was an understatement.  She was terrified things weren’t going to work, but she didn’t want to tell Lexa that.  She knew Lexa was worried enough on her own, and she didn’t want to make her second guess her decision.  This was what Lexa wanted to do, and Clarke was going to support it.

“When I asked my mom if it was possible, I thought it was going to be an all or nothing thing,” Clarke said after a few moments.  “I thought they would either be able to do it or not.  I didn’t think she would tell me they could try, but there was a chance of it going wrong.”

“I guess you never know how these things are going to work,” Lexa replied.  “It actually seems like there is a lot we don’t know about this world.  We don’t know why I’m here; I really shouldn’t be, but I am.  And you shouldn’t be able to see me, but you do.  There are clearly things beyond our understanding.  This ritual is just another one of those things.  Who knows why it works for some and not others.  But given the way everything has fallen into place so far, I’m going to choose to believe this will go our way, too.”

“You never really struck me as an optimist,” Clarke said.

“I’m not,” Lexa replied.  “But I need to be one right now or I may change my mind.  Plus, I believe I’ve had enough bad luck to last a lifetime.  And considering everything that’s happened in the past few weeks, it’s a little easier for me to tell myself this is going to work.”

“Why do you say that?” Clarke asked.

“Because since I’ve met you, things have actually been okay,” Lexa replied.  “You’ve changed everything for me.”

“Let’s hope it continues that way,” Clarke said, glancing over her shoulder.  “As much as I hate to say it, we should probably get up there.”

“I know,” Lexa replied.

They both sat on the bench for several more minutes before Clarke finally stood up with a sigh.  The sun was beginning to set, and Clarke knew that was their cue.

“We should get up there,” Clarke said.

Lexa nodded and stood up, following Clarke toward the large building.  Since Raven’s research led her to believe that it would increase the chances of success if they performed the ritual where Lexa had been killed, the coven was currently setting up on the roof of Polis Hall.  When they got up there, over a dozen people were standing around, most of which Clarke had never seen in her life.  Though there were a few people that surprised her.  Friends of her parents that she’d known her entire life.  And then there was Anya, who looked like she felt completely out of place, but had wanted to be there for her sister.

“There you are,” Raven said when she noticed the two.  “We were wondering if you were ever going to get up here.  We can’t start the party without the guest of honor.”

“Maybe you should take this a little more serious,” Clarke said to her friend.

“I am,” Raven said, waving her off.  “I just know this is going to work, so there’s no reason to worry.  I’m awesome at this sort of thing, remember?”

“Performed many rituals, have you?” Clarke asked.

“You know what I mean,” Raven replied with a roll of her eyes.

“Your friend has been very annoying,” Anya commented as she walked up to the small group.

Raven scoffed.  “Says Little Miss Cynical.  Is there anything you haven’t complained about since you got here?”

“Well, maybe if you wouldn’t—”

“Guys!” Clarke said, interrupting their bickering.

“She started it,” Raven replied.

“What are you, four years old?” Anya asked.

“Clarke, we need to talk,” Abby said, coming up behind her daughter.  “You’re going to have to join the circle.”

“I’m what?” Clarke asked.

“One of the coven couldn’t make it,” Abby replied.  “She went into labor this afternoon.”

“But why me?” Clarke asked.

“Because I believe you have powers in there, Clarke,” Abby answered.  “Even if you don’t know it.”

“There’s no one else that can do it?” Clarke asked.

Abby shook her head.  “We need you.”

“No pressure, right?” Raven said, looking at Clarke.

“Thanks, Raven,” Clarke replied before glancing at Lexa, who gave her a slight smile.

* * *

 

“I think it’s time,” Abby announced.  “Does everyone know what to do?”

Everyone nodded or gave their ‘yeses’ except for Clarke, who simply took a deep breath.

“You okay, kid?” Clarke heard from behind her, and she looked over her shoulder to find Marcus Kane giving her a sympathetic smile.

“I don’t know if I can do this,” Clarke answered.

“You can,” Marcus replied.  “I’ve known you since the day you were born, and there’s nothing you haven’t been able to do.  I’m sure this is no exception.  And your mom wouldn’t ask you to do it unless she believed it too.  Now you just need to believe it, because that is the only thing that will hold you back.”

Clarke nodded.  “I need to talk to Lexa for a moment and I’ll be ready.”

Clarke made her way over to Lexa, who was standing just outside the circle that had been drawn in the middle of the roof.  She could tell Lexa was nervous by the way she was pacing back and forth, and Clarke knew exactly how she felt.  She stopped as Clarke neared, though, turning to the blonde.

“Clarke, I just want you to know—”

“Don’t say anything,” Clarke interrupted.  “You can tell me after, okay?”

Lexa stared at her for a moment before nodded.  “Am I at least allowed to thank you for everything you’ve done for me?”

“No, you can also do that after,” Clarke replied, giving Lexa a smile.

“Are you ready?” Lexa asked.

“I don’t know if I’ll ever be ready,” Clarke replied.

“Too bad,” Raven said, grabbing her by the arm, and pulling her toward the circle.  “Take this candle.  It’s time to go.  Lexa, you get in the middle and stay there.”

Clarke and Lexa looked at each other for a moment before they both did as Raven instructed.  Everyone else took their places as well, and Raven stepped back, standing near Anya.

Abby began, performing most of the ritual by herself before everyone else joined in.  Clarke spoke in Latin, having no idea what she was saying, but she made sure she followed her mom’s directions exactly.

Lexa was watching her throughout the whole thing, and Clarke kept her eyes on Lexa as well.  As the ritual went on, a bright blue light began emanating around the circle, growing larger and larger as the chanting continued.  One by one, the members of the coven began blowing out their candles, ending with Clarke.  She locked eyes with Lexa as she blew out the candle, and a moment later everything went dark on the roof.

“Lexa?” Clarke said as her eyes adjusted to the darkness and she realized the center of the circle was now empty.

“Clarke.”

The blonde quickly turned around at the sound of Lexa’s voice.  She was no longer in the middle of the circle but standing just behind Clarke, who closed the distance between them and threw herself into Lexa’s arms.

“You’re still here,” Clarke softly said.

“I am,” Lexa replied.

Clarke pulled away and looked at her hands, which were resting on Lexa’s shoulders.  “And you’re alive.  It worked.”

Clarke looked up, locking eyes with Lexa.  Before she could even think about what she was doing or the fact that she was surrounded by people, including her mom, Clarke leaned forward, bringing their lips together.  As soon as their lips touched, she could feel Lexa tense, but then her shoulders relaxed after a few moments and her arms slowly wrapped around Clarke’s waist, pulling her closer.

“Get a room,” Raven shouted, and Clarke and Lexa both pulled away and rolled their eyes.

“Thanks, Raven,” Clarke said in annoyance.

“It’s what I’m here for,” Raven replied, wrapping an arm around each of their shoulders, and then looking at Lexa.  “It’s nice to finally see you.  You really should change those clothes.”

“She can do that later,” Anya said, never taking her eyes off Lexa.  “Hey, kid.”

“We’ll let you two talk,” Clarke said.

Clarke grabbed Raven’s arm and pulled her away from the sisters.   As much as she wanted to spend time with Lexa, she knew they would have plenty of time to do that later.

“I’ll be back,” Clarke said to her mom.  “It’s cold up here; I’m going to grab a jacket for Lexa.”

“We’ll be here,” Abby replied, reaching over, and squeezing Clarke’s hand.

Clarke walked over to the door, glancing over her shoulder at Lexa and Anya as she went.  She opened the door and began walking down the stairs, but before she was even halfway down, she heard the door open again and Lexa asked, “Are you leaving?  Because I still need to thank you.”

Clarke shook her head as she turned around.  “There’s no need.”

“Maybe not, but I still want to,” Lexa replied, walking down until she was on the same step as Clarke.  “So thank you, Clarke.  For everything you’ve done for me.  I don’t know if I will ever be able to repay you.”

“I can think of one way,” Clarke said.

“And what way is that, Clarke?” Lexa asked.

“Go on that date with me,” Clarke answered with a smile.

“I think I may be able to arrange that,” Lexa said as she reached out and took Clarke’s hand in her own.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you all for reading. I hope you guys enjoyed it.

**Author's Note:**

> In case it isn't obvious, this is my Halloween fic for the year, and I'll be posting a chapter every other night until it ends on Halloween.


End file.
